Booster Pack Timing

[Rahu]

Hi Just a quick thought on your Booster-pack idea

I think you might be leaving the concept af your game to far behind, being a lot of the gamers I talk to in game seems to be very pissed of about tha fact that you now want to charge money for something we already are paying for ( monthly fee ). a lot started out here because of the fact that you don't charge for the game and that is a nice policy indeed. Well again a lot of people I chat with explains to me that the now are leaving becuase of this change in policy. So well just want you to consider once more if its really worth while to take the risk of losing a lot of accounts. Another thing people are using for an argurment is that Star Wars Galaxies is comming up and others new MMORPG. Well maybe the booster pack idea will save your economy here and now, but just consider if the timming is right.
So instead of changing policy and charging new fee's, and giving the playing community some very strange argumentation about why it costs money (read "Booster packs have been standard in card-based games for years,"), you should rather do everything possible to keep your customer at home...
at last as for your pricing its not lower then the price of a standard Expansion Pack but the same price as an Expansion pack.

Regards From Meja

[_______________Vydas]

I can understand not buying the pack. But, I'm not following, since the purchase is optional, why people are leaving because of the pack.

Can you explain that a bit more?

[__________d'Artagnan]

I have to agree with Vydas, I'm wondering why people are saying that they're leaving.. the booster pack is optional, and the game will still work if you don't buy it.

I'm still debating with myself over whether to get it or not, (sorry, Cz, I know this isn't the "Buy it or not" forum ), but awaiting more details. I don't pvp, so I want to see if there are any other things that will come into play that may benefit my wife and I. We're not powergamers.

Kudos to Funcom, though, for doing something to revolutionize the game.. hopefully it doesn't interfere, though, with players who still wish to solo.

[___________Yorkforce]

I dont think its a case of leaving because of the booster pack.

I think its something along the lines of ..

Ok been playing AO for 4+ months .. I log in , see freinds, speak to guild do missions , then do more missions, now im lvl 100+ and im so fugging bored of missions .. ill try some static missions .. great got a static mission .. oh no so has 200 more players .. damn they all wanna kill the same mob as me .. damn .. ok lets go read the forums .. booster pack .. hum PvP booster pack .. hmmm but PvP is fugged ... wait up .. land control ... HEY THAT WAS ENVISIONED BEFORE .. great .. wait .. ID HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS? .. WTF ... wait ... ID HAVE TO BUY THE GAME I ALREADY FUGGING HAVE FOR $20 WHICH INCLUDES THE FUGGING BOOSTER PATCH!!!! ... MY GOD ... WHEN DOES SWG COME OUT? MAN I CANT WAIT FOR THAT ,.. DID I SAY I HATE MISSIONS?.

Ta Daa

(To add , Your in a guild , your Guild Leader buys the pack , you cant take part without the booster pack thus the guild is split in two,thus they are very nicely spliting up the community.)

Its called forced marketing , read the posts in this forum and you will get the idea. all the closed posts that is .. the stuff Funcom doesnt want anyone to know about.

[_______________Zepto]

It is not a case of, is the booster optional or do you have to buy it. It is more of a case of faith in Funcom and people are stating to question there ethicial state due to this push marketing. It is not the item, it is the method and actions of the company.

[_________Knightsaber]

Originally posted by Yorkforce

(To add , Your in a guild , your Guild Leader buys the pack , you cant take part without the booster pack thus the guild is split in two,thus they are very nicely spliting up the community.)

[/B]

Actually Yorkforce it has been said multiple times that guilds who have half with the booster and half without will "all" still be able to participate. Those without the booster will not get the ability to place or manage the towers but they can help their fellow guildmates defend thier tower and attack other towers. I don't rememeber details but they had mentioned giving the non-boostered players a small graphic patch so they can see and interact with the towers on a much smaller scale. They won't look as detailed without the booster. You also won't get any of the shinny new graphics but from your post you wern't focused on that.

[_Bonk_]

Nobody is forcing you to buy the booster. Sure the booster offers new things that you cant do normally but thats the point.

Dont like it and feel ripped off by Funcom then dont buy it. There is no forcing involved.

[engelstein]

You know you're an old-timer when people who've been playing less than half as long as you are quitting in frustration.

[__________Windrunner]

Originally posted by Meja
Hi Just a quick thought on your Booster-pack idea

I think you might be leaving the concept af your game to far behind, being a lot of the gamers I talk to in game seems to be very pissed of about tha fact that you now want to charge money for something we already are paying for ( monthly fee ). a lot started out here because of the fact that you don't charge for the game and that is a nice policy indeed. Well again a lot of people I chat with explains to me that the now are leaving becuase of this change in policy. So well just want you to consider once more if its really worth while to take the risk of losing a lot of accounts. Another thing people are using for an argurment is that Star Wars Galaxies is comming up and others new MMORPG. Well maybe the booster pack idea will save your economy here and now, but just consider if the timming is right.
So instead of changing policy and charging new fee's, and giving the playing community some very strange argumentation about why it costs money (read "Booster packs have been standard in card-based games for years,"), you should rather do everything possible to keep your customer at home...
at last as for your pricing its not lower then the price of a standard Expansion Pack but the same price as an Expansion pack.

Regards From Meja

I have just closed my account. To be fair, I have been thinking about it long and hard lately, and the fact is that the game just isn't as much fun for me. The booster pack was the final straw, and I'll explain why.

The features in the booster pack were supposed to be part of the game. They were listed features before the game even launched last summer, and were never added. Instead, they add them in a booster pack that you have to buy, then insult us by having to spend $20 and getting a CD-key that's worthless to us. If I could use that key to get a free month, that would be one thing. But I can't, and that is BS. Yea, to be fair, EQ's numerous expansions didn't add a free month, but at the same time, the only one that included the client with the expansion was Kunark, and it was available to current subscribers for $7! (Every single one of them added a ton more content than the AO booster pack is apparently going to, as well) Additionally, Asheron's Call: Dark Majesty gave current subscribers a free month to tack on... so what the heck is the problem?

As I said, the booster pack was what made the final decision. It's a marketing ploy, to get people to buy the booster, and let their friends use the CD-key so they can get more subscribers. I understand on that front why they're doing it, but I've about had it with the constant screwing.

Sorry folks, but I'm done. :\

Date of registration 2001-06-27 22:51:36 UTC
Account status Open until 2002-09-08
Subscription is cancelled
Next billing Not scheduled

[_____________Chromad]

Originally posted by Engelstein
You know you're an old-timer when people who've been playing less than half as long as you are quitting in frustration.

This is going to be the quote of the day, Engel.

Amen, bro!

[MrForceboy]

Ive played Ao from the beginning and before it even came out on betaes, now iam glad the booster pack is out instead of being harsh against FC and Ao develpoers shutup i say the booster pack is to help FC make more money to give us some free benefits they need to get established before they can give free stuff get it in and read Cz posts before commenting something you dont now enoguh about

[____________Dominata]

My theory as to why FC is releasing the booster pack instead of Shadowlands this christmas season... Pure speculation mind you...

From a pure marketing point it makes perfect sense to push Shadowlands until 2003 and release the booster pack instead and schedule that for a christmas release.
By doing this they will still get a much needed influx of money and keeping a presence on the market with a box in shops. By adding the game client to the box FC will also be able to claim an increase in the sales of the actual game. Sneaky sneaky...

The reason for pushing Shadowlands back is simply that SWG is also being delayed from the original launch date. FC sees SWG as their main competitor and Shadowlands is AO's counter to SWG's launch. If SWG had been released at christmas like it was supposed to, Shadowlands would have been out there as well, trust me...
On the flipside is that FC will now have the opportunity to really polish Shadowlands until it shines and release it as a very well put together expansion, hopefully.

Unfortunately the booster pack will mean that patches will be fewer and will contain less actual fixes, 14.5 for example seem to contain more additions of possible bugs than actual fixes for old ones. So, content is more of a priority now than fixes it seems...

All this is sound marketing strategy from the "marketeers" point of view but a lot of existing players feels like they are being shafted.

[_____________DocFunk]

The expansion may not be optional if you are in a guild, oh unless you want to quit. For instance, some people in your guild buy the expansion. Now lets say they wanted to have meeting in your new tower, or need help defending it. It would be difficult for you to really be active with your guild. Unless there is something about not buying the booster that takes care of this problem, since FC claims that you really don't need it. Perhaps they mean that you really don't need it if you're no in a guild.

[_______________Goode]

Originally posted by Engelstein
You know you're an old-timer when people who've been playing less than half as long as you are quitting in frustration.

LOL...Reveren!

I'm looking forward to the booster pack. $20.00 ain't too much to ask from me. So what if it was originally 'envisioned.'