Forums » Suggestions
Make VO free to play, or some variation of that. WoW, Everquest, and other MMORPG's all offer free memberships to players. They've got limitations on the free players, such as they can only play up to level 20, or they can only equip poor gear, or they get bombarded with ads to subscribe or buy something, and so on. VO doesn't have a primary character level, but it might be something like the number of all levels combined (combat, light, heavy, trade, and mining all added up). Or it might be that free players:
* Can only play up to a combined level 10
* Can only pilot certain ships
* Can only equip small port add-ons
* Can't join guilds
* Don't receive full pay from missions
* Can't leave their native Nation space
* Can't take certain missions
* Can't enlist in the military or do bounty hunting
And so on. I suggested this on /100 a few days ago and heard a lot of people saying it would just fill space with whiny newblets, but at least that would replace the space taken up by all the vets whining that there's nobody playing the game.
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EDIT: What I meant was at least the vets wouldn't be whining about space being empty. I'm sure the pirate guilds would also appreciate having lots of new cannon fodder.
* Can only play up to a combined level 10
* Can only pilot certain ships
* Can only equip small port add-ons
* Can't join guilds
* Don't receive full pay from missions
* Can't leave their native Nation space
* Can't take certain missions
* Can't enlist in the military or do bounty hunting
And so on. I suggested this on /100 a few days ago and heard a lot of people saying it would just fill space with whiny newblets, but at least that would replace the space taken up by all the vets whining that there's nobody playing the game.
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EDIT: What I meant was at least the vets wouldn't be whining about space being empty. I'm sure the pirate guilds would also appreciate having lots of new cannon fodder.
Don't be silly.
I'm irreplaceable.
I'm irreplaceable.
We need who?me? back.
If VO had better resources, this might be a viable idea. However VO is run by three people and ultimately this would most likely hurt VO.
Having players playing VO or lack thereof is not the problem. Poor development is the problem.
Yeah, I've heard a lot of that over the last couple weeks too: "There are no players because there are only 3 developers and they never have any time to do anything with the game so the game stinks and there's nothing to do and nobody's playing." Maybe - just maybe - if enough new players get hooked on the characters they're playing and maybe - just maybe - if they're willing to spend $10 a month or whatever it works out to in their local currency then maybe - just maybe - the developers will have some more time and money to build a game we really love to play.
or maybe you're a cheap bastard trying to find a way to freeload like 100's before you
And maybe, just maybe... this flood of new unpaid players would be be a burden VO, causing problems, forcing the Devs to divert their attentions from improving the game, which in turn causes it to stagnate, which causes paying players to quit, making the Devs lose money, which causes a lack of development and ultimately VO goes belly up...
and it's all because you are too cheap to pay ten dollars a month. Good going.
and it's all because you are too cheap to pay ten dollars a month. Good going.
This and similar ideas have been posted time and time again. Long answer short. No.
Long answer: The devs have looked at al kinds of differing F2P and P2P models, and found that the current one is the easiest for them to manage and predict income from.
The new *friend key* system is probably the best a new player is going to get. A 2 week trial instead of an 8 hour trial should be enough for anyone to decide if they like the game enough to stick around, it's just this system is flawed too. Newbs simply do not know about the friend keys, and vets cannot just give them to in game characters, they need to provide an email address, which can be problematic.
(It's been suggested so doesn't need a new thread)
It would be much better to address the friend key problems, make newbs aware of their existence during training, and make it easier for vets to give em out. Nobody wants to give me their email address, FFS, I RP a pirate, when I can actually be assed login in.
Long answer: The devs have looked at al kinds of differing F2P and P2P models, and found that the current one is the easiest for them to manage and predict income from.
The new *friend key* system is probably the best a new player is going to get. A 2 week trial instead of an 8 hour trial should be enough for anyone to decide if they like the game enough to stick around, it's just this system is flawed too. Newbs simply do not know about the friend keys, and vets cannot just give them to in game characters, they need to provide an email address, which can be problematic.
(It's been suggested so doesn't need a new thread)
It would be much better to address the friend key problems, make newbs aware of their existence during training, and make it easier for vets to give em out. Nobody wants to give me their email address, FFS, I RP a pirate, when I can actually be assed login in.
First, friend key could be easily improved with an optional "privacy" mode, when we could send as anonymous or provide a nickname.
Back on OT, I see that some "Free Slots" would not hurt Guild's business model at all... who can pay will pay for full features, while students, hobos and bypassers can play a very limited version of game, have fun +and+ provide fun for paying subscribers... Empty space, silent /100, makes more players quit than lack of updates...
Note the SLOTS concept: There are X slots for free accounts at any given time.
X can be a fixed value, as 20 or 123, but also can be a dynamic variable tied to online playerbase. Something as X=100-(#subs), so each paying subscriber that logins will fill a slot or kick a free player... Clan-owned servers usually act like that, server kicks a non-member when clan members login to full server.
I see that 20 more players online would only benefit VO players and Guild software.
And enable free accounts to becoming paying account only once, but paying accounts can't revert to free. (One can create a new free account...)
Limitations for free accounts:
-only X slots on server for free accounts
-Limited combined XP. (this alone will restrict access to better ships and equipaments!)
-Lmited banking account, frequent tax collecting.
?> Limited only to Android players
?> Limited only to minor factions: Corvus (U+S-I-), Aeolus (U=S+I-), Tunguska (U=S-I+) (UIT/Serco/Itani initial standing)
Back on OT, I see that some "Free Slots" would not hurt Guild's business model at all... who can pay will pay for full features, while students, hobos and bypassers can play a very limited version of game, have fun +and+ provide fun for paying subscribers... Empty space, silent /100, makes more players quit than lack of updates...
Note the SLOTS concept: There are X slots for free accounts at any given time.
X can be a fixed value, as 20 or 123, but also can be a dynamic variable tied to online playerbase. Something as X=100-(#subs), so each paying subscriber that logins will fill a slot or kick a free player... Clan-owned servers usually act like that, server kicks a non-member when clan members login to full server.
I see that 20 more players online would only benefit VO players and Guild software.
And enable free accounts to becoming paying account only once, but paying accounts can't revert to free. (One can create a new free account...)
Limitations for free accounts:
-only X slots on server for free accounts
-Limited combined XP. (this alone will restrict access to better ships and equipaments!)
-Lmited banking account, frequent tax collecting.
?> Limited only to Android players
?> Limited only to minor factions: Corvus (U+S-I-), Aeolus (U=S+I-), Tunguska (U=S-I+) (UIT/Serco/Itani initial standing)
I agree with yoda. Two weeks is sufficient to know whether you want to pay $10 to play for another month. After that month you know whether you want to sub for a while (which can be cheaper than paying month by month).
Most of the whining you hear about emptiness is not coming from vets, by the way. It's coming from new players. Not that we don't wish there were more players, because we do. And we do comment on it sometimes, mainly if discussing the problems with the game. But the actual whining is mostly coming from newbs. At least during the hours that I play.
Also, some of those newbs are just not observant. I've seen people complaining that they've never seen another player when I had just passed them up two minutes ago, and had already pirated three other people in the same system they were in. "Pup" was also prowling that system at the time, IIRC.
Most of the whining you hear about emptiness is not coming from vets, by the way. It's coming from new players. Not that we don't wish there were more players, because we do. And we do comment on it sometimes, mainly if discussing the problems with the game. But the actual whining is mostly coming from newbs. At least during the hours that I play.
Also, some of those newbs are just not observant. I've seen people complaining that they've never seen another player when I had just passed them up two minutes ago, and had already pirated three other people in the same system they were in. "Pup" was also prowling that system at the time, IIRC.
how about bumping the trail from 8 hours to around 12 hours. this should be just enough to get to combat 3 without straight forward mission grinding, get a taste of the real game, and them have the membership end. As stands 8 hours is enough to go over the tutorials and some boring missions. Can't fly anything fun, can't do anything fun. give the newbs a taste of the good stuff.
And as for cries of emptiness, new players expect dozens of players in common sectors, as one would find in a popular game. What a vet calls busy a typical newb used to wow and eve will find deserted.
And as for cries of emptiness, new players expect dozens of players in common sectors, as one would find in a popular game. What a vet calls busy a typical newb used to wow and eve will find deserted.
+ 1 to need a different free model. The 8 hours training is really just for training, there is no chance to experience the true game play. The 2 week model doesn't get enough "visibility" and probably isn't generating the interest the devs intended. The devs would know this info.
In my industry it's called seeding the market. Put enough of a restricted Freebie out there to generate lots of walk in traffic. It's like fishing, you're trying to "catch" some of them and entice them into a paying account. Some will walk away, some will stay. It's the business of gaming software.
My recent thoughts on this would be to have the freebie accounts restricted to the Nation capital, and maybe a few sectors around that. Max 4-5 sectors that they can jump into. You want them to taste the ability to mine, fight bots, get money, take simple missions, buy some other equipment. Get them hooked.
Or increase the free account time limit so that they can experience more of the universe.
The 2 week friend key is probably not generating the walk in traffic they would like, it works on word of mouth and can continue in that regard. The freebie account would not replace that.
In my industry it's called seeding the market. Put enough of a restricted Freebie out there to generate lots of walk in traffic. It's like fishing, you're trying to "catch" some of them and entice them into a paying account. Some will walk away, some will stay. It's the business of gaming software.
My recent thoughts on this would be to have the freebie accounts restricted to the Nation capital, and maybe a few sectors around that. Max 4-5 sectors that they can jump into. You want them to taste the ability to mine, fight bots, get money, take simple missions, buy some other equipment. Get them hooked.
Or increase the free account time limit so that they can experience more of the universe.
The 2 week friend key is probably not generating the walk in traffic they would like, it works on word of mouth and can continue in that regard. The freebie account would not replace that.
Your industry sounds more sleazy and irritating than fun.
I don't know about you, but I'd rather play fun games than sleazy and irritating ones.
I don't know about you, but I'd rather play fun games than sleazy and irritating ones.
You want them to taste the ability to mine, fight bots, get money, take simple missions, buy some other equipment.
If you can't do all that on an 8 hour trial, you probably are too mentally retarded and/or physically crippled to be bothering with computer games. Focus on feeding yourself without making a mess of your special chair, mmmkay?
If you can't do all that on an 8 hour trial, you probably are too mentally retarded and/or physically crippled to be bothering with computer games. Focus on feeding yourself without making a mess of your special chair, mmmkay?
Sorry, I thought this was a forum for open debate and suggestions. If I had known it was teen trolls and personal insults, I would have thought otherwise...
Maybe this is why the numbers are low? Too much input from the morons who aren't capable of dressing themselves without mommies help...
Maybe this is why the numbers are low? Too much input from the morons who aren't capable of dressing themselves without mommies help...
Maybe this is why the numbers are low? Too much input from the morons who aren't capable of dressing themselves without mommies help...
that's just lecter. Don't mind him, not like anyone else does.
special restrictions are horrible and won't work. there will be a huge imbalance between freebies bitching how they are left out and everyone else trying to play around them.
The problem with the 2 week friend key is that requires signing up for the trial to begin with. While anyone interested in game can get a key, no one who hasn't signed up yet and started playing knows about that option.
that's just lecter. Don't mind him, not like anyone else does.
special restrictions are horrible and won't work. there will be a huge imbalance between freebies bitching how they are left out and everyone else trying to play around them.
The problem with the 2 week friend key is that requires signing up for the trial to begin with. While anyone interested in game can get a key, no one who hasn't signed up yet and started playing knows about that option.
What are you talking about? Have you looked at the Active Players graph? The numbers aren't low.
the numbers aren't there for US whistler, sure we can measure it when momerath is online, when i do it seems to max out around 45ish
Retrieved from https://market.android.com/details?id=com.guildsoftware.vendetta on 9-18
Seems like releasing VO for the Xperia Play and Lenovo Ideapad did more to bring attention to VO than bending to this oft requested feature of dubious motive. Yes, I like graphs going up and to the right.
More on topic, since release Vendetta has followed the model of pay to play which creates a level playing field for everyone. Personally I don't think changing the subscription model now would be a good move. It seems like every once in a while someone comes along and suggests to make this free, commonly giving the reason that it would draw more players. I would argue that what VO needs are subscriptions. Players who are trying out a game just because its free aren't really the ones who are going to be playing VO for the sake of VO. Vendetta's assets are its unique gameplay and its community... these will either attract new players or it won't. To put it simply, I would rather play in a galaxy full of 60 players who are enthusiastic about the game for its design than 600 players out looking for a free ride.
If you really can't afford $10 a month you have my sympathy (and a reminder that there is an option which lets you pay $160 for two years), but at least you get 8 hours for free along with the free download which is far more generous than many other games of Vendetta's quality.
Of course I would love to see VO explode into 6,000 players online simultaneously, but getting there by making it free to play doesn't seem like the right way to go. Like that guy Kant said: "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law."
/2c