Elder Scrolls Online Using Subscription Fees

[hector530]

yet no one seems to have a problem with FF14 and wildstar doing this too

 

 

strange......

[Vagrant0]

yet no one seems to have a problem with FF14 and wildstar doing this too

 

 

strange......

Or Eve, or The Secret World.

 

 

Alot of it ultimately depends on the actual game world implementation. Is it an open system similar to the single player games where you can run around and develop your character however you want, or is it one with leveled zones, limited class/archetype choices, with the majority of content being quest and grind based? Based on the other games of the series, going with a more open world system with most quests being side stories and the like would probably be received better than another MMO where the story and character progression is largely linear.

[Vindekarr]

I really don't see what all the complaining is about here. Maybe younger gamers don't remember the less-spoiled days, but virtually all MMOs used to be subscription based and most still are. If you've got a stable job, it's hardly an issue. And besides, wouldn't you rather pay a flat $15 a month than $50 a month in microtransactions simply to be competitive? My experience with MMOs is that the subscription based ones quickly become cheaper, and tend to have much better content over time. Guild Wars may have episodic content, but they haven't actually added anything permanent to the game since launch, nor fixed most of the bugs-there are still classes that barely function, broken dungeons, gamebreaking bugs, CTDs, ect. nAnd in case you didn't notice, the skins from the bi-weekly episodic content cost a whole $30 to buy and have a 1% drop chance-otherwise you can't get them, and all you're getting is more badly acted cut-scenes.

 

I would much rather pay to play a game worth pay for, than a free to play pile of trash like most current MMOs. And really, 15$ a month. Is that really going to kill you?

[hoofhearted4]

not that i plan on playing TESO, but just on the comment of subscribed MMOs;

 

im a casual MMO player. ive tried a few, WoW, SWTOR, Champions Online, LOTRO, and most recently GW2. i have never gotten a character to max level. only ever make it about half way. my favorite part is just making new characters, and playing them and trying things out. as such, i dont ever really make it too far into the game (with a couple exceptions). because i do the beginning of the game over and over (which is almost always the same or very similar for new characters) i get bored of the game usually within a month, two max. so for me, i like the F2P or B2P model. i can buy the game and have fun doing what i do, without feeling obligated to play once ive bored myself with the beginning of the game. i dont usually buy into microtransactions, as i dont PvP or WvW or equivalent, and even in F2P games and kin, you can play the Single Player portion just fine, without NEEDING to buy things to beat the game. also, im not worried about end game content, or even how much new stuff a company puts out every 2 days.

 

now all this i realize, im in the minority. but just from my perspective, i much much prefer F2P/B2P MMOs over sub based. i probably would have continue SWTOR if it was B2P. on top of that, sub based MMOs that go F2P (SWTOR being a great example) usually make F2P hardly worth it, locking out major content so to truly enjoy you need to sub anyways (the reason i never got back into SWTOR). one of my favorite MMOs, Champion Online, is similar. you can play the entire game F2P, not locked out of anything content wise, however your toons you build are on rails, gaining abilities that follow a path based on the Super Power you picked, whereas those who sub, can choose any power at any time. so when i decide to play CO (for a month usually) i do sub, because its a blast creating new toons with super powers, and i like to mix and match to fit my theme. plus i had created my major toons before they went F2P, so if i didnt sub, i wouldnt be able to play those lol.

 

but anyways, thats my two cents. btw, im back into GW2 as of the other day (havent played since the other day). it is deff slow at lower level, though the game isnt dead per say. still bunch of people around, just not till higher, but yea, having a blast once again. lots of stuff has changed, but its fun learning it all again. again, started off with completely new toons.

[Rennn]

I really don't see what all the complaining is about here.

 

I'm not "compaining" just saying that when ESO is pay to play, I won't play it. A potential customer refusing to buy a product because he prefers something else is not complaining.

It has nothing to do with quality (GW2 is higher quality than any P2P MMO at the moment, for example), but I take several week breaks when I play games. Many people do. Are we supposed to stay subscribed to a game that we only play for one or two weeks in a row? I don't know about you, but some people don't have time between college and work to commit the hours required to an MMO to ensure that $15 a month for upwards of 4 years is actually worthwhile.

 

Microtransactions are much more efficient for people like me. I can put down $10 on a quest pack, play it and level up whenever I have time over the course of a month, and then finish it by the end of the month without spending $15 each month anyway on content I won't ever see.

 

That said, MMOs are not a big part of my life. They tend to be lower quality (albeit larger) than single player games, with none of the replayability, interactivity, or intensity. I far prefer single player ARPGs, such as Dark Souls, Dark Messiah, or Drakan. So if the player base that actually takes MMOs seriously wants it to be subscription based, I have no problem with that. I simply won't play it.

Edited August 26, 2013 by Rennn

[Lisnpuppy]

Renn -Six of one, half a dozen of the other in the instance which you describe. You can pay or not pay each month. You don't have to pay 6 mos in advance (unless you want a discount.) So...I am not sure I understand. Most MMOs don't have any kind of downside if you don't subscribe for a month or three. If you are in college or have a job that has things coming up or you know you are going to work more hours...that is usually something you know things are upcoming so easy enough to play around (typically.)

 

But if someone doesn't like sub or doesn't like F2P...well there are perks and downsides to both. Can't make everyone happy and its too expensive for a company to run both at once in the beginning. Even those that later have both seem to eventually drop the sub.

[Vindekarr]

Rennn-you clearly haven't played the latest crop of "free" MMOs then. Guild Wars charges you $60 for a set of character skins, and Neverwinter charged you $10+ every time you use the auction house. If you'd ever played things the way they used to be, you'd probably realise that subscription games are usually much cheaper overall.

 

Let's compare EVE Online to Guild Wars 2:

 

EVE is ostensibly "pay to play" with a cash shop as well, but anyone who's played it will know that the cash shop also accepts in-game currency, and veterans can also pay their sub with in-game cash as well. Furthermore, the game is totally free to download, and the only "paying" is a flat $15 a month for the firth four months after which it's free. There is no option to buy skill modifiers or bonuses, you simply can buy very fancy clothes, and even then, you can buy those fancy monocles with in-game cash anyway.

 

Updates are provided free. All new ships skins? free. A new model of ship? free. A whole new class of ships? free. New storyline? free. I remember recently they applied a new skin to half of all ships in the game, the download size was over 2 gigs, totally free(didn't even cost in-game)

 

Guild Wars 2, the darling of "free to play". Costs a whopping $99 to buy, and is then "free". Unfortunately there have been no attempts made to freely expand the gameplay beyond bi-weekly updates that add temporary new gear. Which you have to pay for. And they cost a lot. Like, $50 a set a lot. The game's still riddled with day-one bugs, some quests are impossible for some classes, PVP is annoyingly unreliable and the game itself is more cantankerous than Oblivion with 550 mods for my newest machine. It's free. Suuuuuure. Enjoy paying, constantly, and thinking you're somehow better off. I'll still be playing EVE, paying my monthly subscription with half an hour's worth of grinding, and enjoying being a monocle-wearing space-pirate when you realise that calling $60 a month in microtransactions isn't free even if you call it free.

[Rennn]

I already said, I don't play MMOs enough for a subscription to be worth it. Maybe you should have paid more attention.

In fact, I also said, "So if the player base that actually takes MMOs seriously wants it to be subscription based, I have no problem with that. I simply won't play it." and I have no idea why you're bothering to argue with that. Am I not allowed to refuse to play the games you like without getting an argument in return?

Edited August 26, 2013 by Rennn

[hoofhearted4]

i agree wiith Rennn. the argument you are making Vindekarr is assuming one buys into all those microtransactions. as i said, for me personally, i dont. i never get to a point in MMOs where i need to get that stuff to continue the fun of a game, and apparently neither does Rennn. we are casual MMOers, so a model like GW2 is perfect for us.....also GW2 only cost me $60 new on launch.

 

also as Rennn said, "So if the player base that actually takes MMOs seriously wants it to be subscription based, I have no problem with that. I simply won't play it."...exactly. i am only a casual MMOer and as such, i prefer B2P or F2P MMOs and stay away from sub based MMOs because i dont get into them enough to warrant the $15 per month....using GW2 as an example, i have probably played a consecutive 3-4 months split up since it came out. thats an extra ~$60 in sub fees if it were. i have purchased some things in the store such as extra character slots and some other small things, but no where near $60 worth. and on top of that, some of those play times werent a full month. might have only been 2 weeks of the month. and i just started back up the other day, and can do so without having to pay $15 to do so, without knowing if ill get sucked back into it or be bored after another week. this for me is the biggest thing. i dont have to pay $15 to see if i wanna play the game. i simply can and be done whenever i want, be 2 days or 2 months, etc.

[Lisnpuppy]

All right children lets not get all bent out of shape talking about MMO subs. *looks at with big eye*