Partial Expansions

[Kuegen]

As title says. Letting froobs buy parts of the current expansions. Discuss.

[Belligerence]

To clarify, do you mean the ability to buy like a single expansion? Like pay $5/month for SL, or do you mean offer the ability to buy rights to stuff that's only available with certain expansions. For example, the ability to buy the... ability... to equip alien weapons, but yet not actually having AI?

[Kuegen]

To clarify, do you mean the ability to buy like a single expansion? Like pay $5/month for SL, or do you mean offer the ability to buy rights to stuff that's only available with certain expansions. For example, the ability to buy the... ability... to equip alien weapons, but yet not actually having AI?

Something along the lines of the latter.

[Khlin]

Taking into account the fact that user data is kept in a BLOB... poor Macrosun, what'd he do to deserve this kind of punishment????

[Kuegen]

Turbine has a micro transaction/VIP system. Such a system offers the best of both worlds, subscription payments to get all you want, and micro transactions to permanently get things on a need-to-have basis. There aren't expansions as much as there are quest packs, or boosters. You can have access to all quests and a bunch of other benefits by subscribing, or you can buy the packs individually. AO isnt a quest based game, however can such a concept still be applied to AO?

Coding complications aside, SL is already broken up into several zones. Access to individual zones in SL, with all associated quests, could be sold in the item shop. Expansion requirements will be adjusted as necessary. YESDROP SL loot can have a "Paid OR ShopItem X purchased".

Likewise, the AI aspects can be sold separately. Individual sectors could be bought, or bought as a package perhaps. Should some things be limited to subscribers? Is a one time payment of say, 500$, enough to have expansions for life? Keep in mind one would still have to pay more money and more content is released if they go this route.

It would take some work to implement such a model, and it is evidently not a neccessity for AO to "survive". But it *seems* turbine has found this model profitable enough to adapt their games(with the exception of AC, which is about as old as AO).

[Belligerence]

Coding complications aside, SL is already broken up into several zones. Access to individual zones in SL, with all associated quests, could be sold in the item shop. Expansion requirements will be adjusted as necessary. YESDROP SL loot can have a "Paid OR ShopItem X purchased". .

How would this work, though? SL progression is linear, "keep going north until you can't go north anymore" with each zone leading to the next. The only exceptions to this are Elysium and Pandemonium after 201+. So if someone bought access to, say, Adonis, how would they get there without access to Scheol first? If you add a line of portals on RK to each SL zone, you might as well just forget about EVER seeing people in Scheol/Adonis/Penumbra, as they'll sit on kite hill to 160, then right click the Inferno portal and never look back.

I think the idea is worth looking into, but if it is accepted, it has to be implemented properly or it can have huge repercussions on the gameplay and RP aspect. I'm not just trying to put the idea down, I'm genuinely curious if something like this can be implemented correctly.

[Mostadio]

I'm not too keen on this idea. Seems that it'd destroy the froob metagame completely. I do understand that it sucks to go from free to pay, no matter how few or how many expansions you acquire. The Sloob experience was a really cool idea and I was hoping they'd expand on that. After all, with some profs you can get AI and SL and you're ready to go because LE and LoX were really crappy. I also understand that the froob game gets stale, especially when you're using BBB or Panther for more than 100 levels. But that's what you get for taking a bite of the forbidden fruit.

[Kuegen]

How would this work, though? SL progression is linear, "keep going north until you can't go north anymore" with each zone leading to the next. The only exceptions to this are Elysium and Pandemonium after 201+. So if someone bought access to, say, Adonis, how would they get there without access to Scheol first? If you add a line of portals on RK to each SL zone, you might as well just forget about EVER seeing people in Scheol/Adonis/Penumbra, as they'll sit on kite hill to 160, then right click the Inferno portal and never look back.

I think the idea is worth looking into, but if it is accepted, it has to be implemented properly or it can have huge repercussions on the gameplay and RP aspect. I'm not just trying to put the idea down, I'm genuinely curious if something like this can be implemented correctly.

Ahh, well I was thinking that you simply couldnt go anywhere you havnt bought access to. Progression through SL would remain the same, simply that the ring from ergo wont work unless you have bought the necessary stuff (or were a subscriber). They would have restrictions in place so you couldnt buy the inferno zone without already owning penumbra.

One problem i see with froobs are the bots like tlfiveplus, and the concept of "pure froob" raids. It will be harder to distinguish who has never bought any accessibility from those who have. That level 200 "froob" MA may very well be decked out in AI armor for all we know.

[MajorOutage]

You guys do realize you're actually asking Funcom to charge you more money for less content in the long run, right?

[Kuegen]

You guys do realize you're actually asking Funcom to charge you more money for less content in the long run, right?

I believe you mean in the short run. Unless you are implying AO is gonna die soon (which this isnt the appropraite thread to discuss that in).

Payings 500$ for all the subscription beneifits permanently would save you money in the long run, if you paid for more than 5 years.

[MajorOutage]

Payings 500$ for all the subscription beneifits permanently would save you money in the long run, if you paid for more than 5 years.

You're not going to get away with having expansion content without some kind of subscription fee.

[Kuegen]

You're not going to get away with having expansion content without some kind of subscription fee.

ok....?

[MajorOutage]

If everything was available as microtransactions, how much do you really expect it to cost? I can guarantee it will be way more than the current $20 for all expansions.

The sub fee you're still going to have to pay either way.

[Kuegen]

If everything was available as microtransactions, how much do you really expect it to cost? I can guarantee it will be way more than the current $20 for all expansions.

The sub fee you're still going to have to pay either way.

Last I checked, 500 > 20...

I don't know where you're getting these facts from...