F2P Failure and Elite Dangerous

Theodrid

Theodrid
paulJ2303 said:
I think it would be a good idea at this point to reiterate what Frontier's position actually is.

This is what the Kickstarter FAQ says on the matter:

Will the game be free to play after the initial purchase?
We do not plan to make it subscription-based. Once you have purchased the game up front, you will be able to play thereafter for no further cost. Everything in the game will be purchasable with in-game Credits, earned from trading, bounty-hunting, etc. We will probably allow the supplemental purchase of Credits with real money, for those who want to accelerate their progress through the game.
We do plan to charge for additional updates, to be available sometime after the original release. These will offer additional content, features and gameplay.



And that's it, that is the whole of the story as far as i can tell.
Everything else, (i'll repeat that) everything else,
is just fluff, bluster and unsubstantiated guesswork.

Having paid for the game i will not be incurring any further cost, simple as that.
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Yeah, I was aware of that information, my stance had kind of got lost in the fog of this thread. I am happy to and willing to pay an optional subscription if FD ever chose to go that way. I doubt I would ever buy credits, though who knows, in terms of MT's, well again, if FD decided to go that way, (if so purely cosmetic please!!!), I may or may not dabble in there, depends what is there and how cool my ship looks in the new skin :)
 

[VR] Mad Mike

[VR] Mad Mike
Riandor said:
Doesn't mean ED couldn't do it better and thus be successful, but so far in my experience history isn't on their side (by that i mean I don't know anyone who has implemented both and provided a quality gaming experience). -subjective opinion I appreciate... :D
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I Would suggest ones which do F2P well

DOTA, War Thunder (slightly less since recent patches), War Frame and - albeit after only a few hrs play Ghost Recon online all seem to have a fair F2P model.

Subs is a no go for me, as my gametime is limited what with a job, a house and god knows what else, I may go 2 months without ever loading up the game.


The question comes down to where you draw the line, how much are you, Jo average gamer, prepared to pay for a game.

ED costs (inc DLC pack) £70 (iirc). Already this is way way in excess of any pc game I have ever bought (I have actually paid £90 and intend on kicking in another £15 for beta 1 assuming it is on offer)

For me, that is enough. I wont be paying anything else in the short : medium term. If the game cant survive on that alone then imo they need to get rid of the season pass and then survive on their DLC packs.

IF in 5 years time the game is still going, then *maybe* I would kick in some money to the cause (voluntarily) but until them imo they have to survive on what they have and future sales. PC games have been surviving for years without MTs and subs etc for a lot less than £70, and its not even like ED will be paying for huge big names to header for it (and if they are then DONT imo) and there are no licensing fees either.


cosmetic items, they can do what ever they like, so long as it is tasteful and fits into the game. Anything else is a very slippery slope imo. Its not that it isnt possible do do it right, its just that it is too big a risk that they may do it wrong.

Thankfully as already said many times, FD made it clear there would be no subs in this game from the get go, so I am not worried about those.....
 
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Riandor

Riandor
Mad Mike said:
I Would suggest ones which do F2P well

DOTA, War Thunder (slightly less since recent patches), War Frame and - albeit after only a few hrs play Ghost Recon online all seem to have a fair F2P model.
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Agree... these games do away with the usual fluff and skip to PvP... DOTA2 is a great example of a F2P game with optional extras that breaks the norm.

It's addictive but demands a lot of time to learn to be effective. More time than I have, though I enjoyed the experience.

But it's nice to play a game that doesn't charge for you to get to level 10 doing meaningless rubbish before you can play any PvP.

And if you are not in MMO's for the PVP content, then you are definitely better off with the single player games.

I am hoping ED will allow for some real nice CO-OP play, as that is what is really lacking online a lot of the time, games where you play cooperatively.
 

Theodrid

Theodrid
Riandor said:
And if you are not in MMO's for the PVP content, then you are definitely better off with the single player games.
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I do not agree with this stetement, PVP based MMO's sure, but many are in it for the grouped PVE content as well. The PVP brigade in games such as WoW and SWTOR are not the majority by any means.

I do PVP in MMO's, but I also do PVE, operations/raids etc etc - I think most players dabble in both, though I would be more likely to play a PVE based MMO that an almost purely PVP based one, just my preference I know but I am not alone.
 
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[VR] Mad Mike

[VR] Mad Mike
Don't get me wrong I am not really interested in the PvP side of the game either, I am way more interested in pve with a bit of coop. I just think the pay models in the games I listed work well (though not for ed as that game is a paid for upfront game
 

Riandor

Riandor
Theodrid said:
I do not agree with this stetement, PVP based MMO's sure, but many are in it for the grouped PVE content as well. The PVP brigade in games such as WoW and SWTOR are not the majority by any means.

I do PVP in MMO's, but I also do PVE, operations/raids etc etc - I think most players dabble in both, though I would be more likely to play a PVE based MMO that an almost purely PVP based one, just my preference I know but I am not alone.
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I played many a Neverwinter Nights (1) mod in its day, many aiming for a MMO in the time before WoW existed. Some were so so, some were great. There it was predominantly about co-op against hordes, bosses... PVE as you correctly say.

Since then, MMORPG's have rinse repeated the same stuff. It's just stale. The one saving grace with SWOTR as an example was group conversations, the roll of the die to see who's answer you saw. I really liked that and yes it's lightsabers, so i liked that too... but give me a KOTOR2 or Mass Effect2 anyday of the week. But ok, so I don't like MMORPG's much so far... that much is clear lol. :rolleyes:

Actually, it's not so much the game play, it's how much you have to pay for it, or are half scammed into that usually gets me. Which is what this is really all about, the pricing.

I seriously considered Elder Scrolls Online. Despite still being annoyed at Bathesda's reluctance to fix their damn floaty combat, where nothing feels like it ever connects.

Heck I thought I might even bite the bullet and subscribe... but the amounts?! £50 for base game (39 on Amazon if you are quick) and another £8.99 a month? + as I live on mainland Europe it's worse.

I played the Beta with some friends and yes, it was a Beta, but the look feel, pricing and so forth isn't gonna change. Skyrim is better, it just doesn't allow you to play with your friends at same time (without mods).

But frankly, watch tons of other players do the same as you at the same time, often even meaning waiting for respawns etc... I dunno, it just makes my skin crawl.

Yes I'm an old school PnP RPG gamer who loves immersive PC games... I long for the day when a RPG or large sandbox game delivers great co-op game play in an environment that makes myself and friends feel like it's us against the world/galaxy, etc...

Maybe Elite is that game. Either way I am loving the Alpha and looking forward to the rest.

Oh and non offence meant to anyone, I can be a grumpy old barsteward on occasion, just airing my gripes! :D
 

Zapp Brannigan

Z
Of course there's the 3rd option. Elite Dangerous becomes a showcase for their licensable game engine, converting support of the game into a marketing investment :)
 
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