Hi Funcom, I was curious to check back on my character a bit but I feel your business model is incredible outdated. You should really consider opening the entire game for free and seek income in making items for sale, much like your "The Secret World". €17,19 a month is just a bit silly for such an old game.
Sometimes when I'm hungry.......I eat my own face!
Going B2P would be the death for AO sadly, only way they can keep the little development they actually have on the game is by subscription. If the market for that isn't there, AO will get the nail in the coffin and get shoved off to the archive.
at the same time I am positive I am not the only one who checks back and walks off again every 3-4 months when I notice nothing is done to the monthly fee yet
Sometimes when I'm hungry.......I eat my own face!
The main thing that has to be done with the monthly fee, is to make it less discriminatory towards Euro's and Brit's. Currency rates is hard for anarchy online apparently.Originally Posted by scarygary
That is due to the VAT and EU taxes. I still wouldn't pay a monthly fee to play a game from 2002 and my characters again. Would I spend money on a cash shop? It all depends if it contain anything I would feel useful and of good value.
Sometimes when I'm hungry.......I eat my own face!
It's not mainly due to VAT and EU taxes, they had different prices for TSW for EU and US as an example when they released it with subscription.
If you won't pay a monthly fee i highly doubt you'll pay the prices and amount needed from the item store to keep the game up and running with continuing development.
Just face it, the current population doesn't warrant a B2P model for AO.
while I agree I wish they game changed a bit I do not agree with the entire game going f2p, what I more believe in is that froobs should get access to SL just like they got access to NW many years ago...
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No offense, but just because you wouldn't doesn't mean the same for other people.
AO is not TSW. AO comes from a generation of MMOs more akin to another 2002-ish game that, funnily enough. people have no problems continuing to pay sub fee for. You should try that game, it's pretty good. It's called Eve Online (ib4plex. Read Joel's update for this month, yo).
At least for now, I don't think going B2P would be in the best interests of AO's long term survival. Also, we already have the froob program which offers the most generous "free trial" of any MMO I have tried so far.
As a Brit I do agree something needs to be done about the difference in regional prices though.
:E
The price is simply TOO high imo. Add to that the lack of any real content updates & the very obvious pricing differences between countries & you can easily see why the population has dropped so severely the last few years.
People vote with their wallets & it' getting more and more obvious that people don't want to pony up nowadays :/
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The pricing differences between countries is a deciding factor in declining population? Funny, then, how EU primetime is packed in AO and US primetime is practically dead.
Also, guys, AO came out in 01. Not even late 01, mid 01.
A solid 10 euro per month would be good price imo.
What is baffling my mind over these years is that FC haven't adjusted the VAT ontop of the price, so that it should be equal to what americans pay, even though they get less profit out of it, it should be more fair.
Many gamers that have been playing the same games for a very long time are often stuck in old mindsets. I was too for a long period. Now I realise you either have to adapt or contine your old route and narrow down the game to zero development and the small income is just the upkeep for a dedicated few.
Sometimes when I'm hungry.......I eat my own face!
Other games may be cheaper, but when it comes to value for money I have yet to find a game that can beat AO.
$/hour wise I can not think of any other entertainment that can compete.
I would of course not object to it bringe cheaper, but I really have a hard time finding reasonable objections to the current $/value ratio of AO.
Also... subscription based payment suits me just fine, and provides for a more predictable income for AO/Funcom which makes it more likely to keep updates, new content and whatever else coming along the way the way I see it.
of the many things i like about ao subscription price isnt one of them, theirs a number of f2p mmo's with cash shop that arent buy2win that if your patient enough you can play for literally nothing, that old republic went partially f2p is telling that the sub model is an outdated one certainly for the few patches ao gets per year. its probably more profitable for FC but dont try and convince me that its anything more than that
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hmm is scarygary = scarymary?
if so: hi!
No1. reason: most f2p/p2w/farm2p MMOs suck {Edited by Venachar: Inappropriate phrase removed}. They are plain bad in comparison. The only MMO I have strongly considered playing other than AO is EVE and Ultima Online, both of them having subscription fees (I know EVE became partially farm2play but I rather pay than farm my brains out just so I can afford the next month).
Those two MMOs being aged are still up and running. However, I would support the farm2play model as it would definitely increase the population and fix the economy. OK some people who still have zillions of credz out of less legitimate sources will be freebies, but it would still worth it. However any such changes must be made after the new engine hits live and not before
When was the last content update again?
I too prefer subscription based games as long as I find it good value for your money. I don't agree AO motivates its monthly fee. A game of this day and age is going to have hard time to keep up with the standards expected from players. This eventually leads to no or few new players coming in, no or few old players returning which inevitably going to make your playerbase smaller and smaller until there is nothing left. Logic right?
The recently adapted RIFT model I believe will raise that bar even higher. I know AO can never compete with the modern MMO on the market, but then again..adapting the appropriate business model for the current time is vital to any games.
Sometimes when I'm hungry.......I eat my own face!
I corrected it for you
"No1. reason: I think most f2p/p2w/farm2p MMOs suck donkey balls. I think they are plain bad in comparison. "
Sometimes when I'm hungry.......I eat my own face!
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