Forums » Suggestions

Free to play restructure

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Dec 29, 2012 DE-1413e link
The game is already free to play, with the following caveat:
Your account is suspended 8 hours (in game time) after you leave the training sector.

This sounds like you play for 8 hours and then you are done, but for some of us, it means we play for 8 hours per character, and then we make a new character. This proposal does not change the net result, it is just to make that net result more accessible to the non technical player.

I propose the following changes to both paid and unpaid accounts:

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Unpaid accounts:
Unlimited temporary characters
Any 6 temporary characters may be converted to permanent characters with a subscription.

Paid accounts
6 permanent characters
Unlimited temporary characters

Temporary characters:
Each temporary character will have 8 hours play time (after leaving the training sector) at which time that character will be erased.

Account lapse:
Paid accounts that cease to pay will lose access to their permanent characters until the account is renewed, but otherwise retain access to unlimited temporary characters.

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This does nothing for me. I already enjoy all these benefits. But it makes the already existing free to play system more accessible to non technical players. Paying players gain the perks of the free to play system, and non paying players are still limited to 8 hour character life. And you can tell all those play for free whiners that there is already a system. 8 hour character life is a reasonable penalty for not paying. And if you develop some characters that look like keeping, then stop playing them till you are ready to subscribe. New players get better and better at making characters, until they find they have made characters that are worth subscribing to keep. Old players can make test characters to goof off with. Best of both worlds.

PS: Odds are, I have deleted more player kills than you have ever had on all your characters combined.
Dec 29, 2012 TheRedSpy link
Not the way you performed in combat today son :P

Seriously though, look, ugh. I agree the business model is in sore need of reform but unless Incarnate posts here with some ideas of what he's prepared to change and what he's not it's hard to have a meaningful discussion about it.
Dec 29, 2012 DE-1413e link
As I said, this proposal does nothing for me. I already have all these benefits. But, do you?

The system I have described already exist.

The only thing I am suggesting is adding a user friendly interface to what already exist.
Dec 29, 2012 Pointsman link
Do you not find mass name squatting undesirable? Why not erase temporary characters after a month or so of inactivity?

The rest seems reasonable but that's the point I suppose.
Dec 29, 2012 LMAO link
DE, you are a free to play abuser imho and a toad
Dec 30, 2012 ryan reign link
Oh Peytros... no one pretends to be a syphilitic brain dead sack of bat droppings like you do when you're trolling. At least, I hope this is Peytros pretending to be a a syphilitic brain dead sack of bat droppings... because if this is a serious post and the OP is actually a a syphilitic brain dead sack of bat droppings, then that means that syphilitic brain dead sacks of bat droppings have evolved into quasi-self aware life forms and soon the syphilitic brain dead sacks of bat droppings will take over the world.

It's ten USD at the most expensive rate... get a job you fucking hippie.
Dec 30, 2012 Espionage link
I still think making the training sector have more to do is the best way forward ATM. Give it some pvp with a few ships and it'll be great.
Dec 30, 2012 ryan reign link
Espionage is right, the training sector could use a bit more training related activities.
Dec 30, 2012 TerranAmbassador link
+1 Espionage.

-1 OP.
Dec 30, 2012 DE-1413e link
@TheRedSpy: I am not suggesting any business model reform. I am not opposed to it, but this is not what this thread is about. This thread is about giving all players the same feature set that otherwise only a few enjoy. This is about leveling the playing field. This is not for my benefit, but for yours.

@Pointsman: I am of two minds on the name squatting issue. I do not like deleting characters, but forcing old characters to be renamed before being playable might be a solution to release old names. A forced rename to "The 5th player formally known as Merlin", or something might also work. Perhaps this issue is deserving of it's own thread. I encourage you to start one.

@LMAO: Please stay on topic.
@Ryan Reign: Please stay on topic.

@Espionage: I am not trying to change the existing system. I am trying to make the existing system more accessible to others. While your suggestion has merit, it neither changes the existing system that I am attempting to address, nor does it make it more accessible. I feel that your suggestion is tangent, and may be in the wrong thread.

Thank you all for your input. If you do not like the current system, then suggest how to fix it. If you are not opposed to the current system, then consider supporting more universal access to it.
Dec 30, 2012 ryan reign link
The existing system is accessible to anyone and everyone. For the low price of between six to ten dollars. I know homeless people who make ten times that collecting and selling scrap metal. You are just trying to play for free which strictly benefits lazy people like you, does nothing for those of us who pay and certainly does not benefit the game as your idea robs the developers of money.

Go away.
Dec 30, 2012 tarenty link
Go away.

I second this.
Dec 30, 2012 draugath link
The bottom line, excepting the facts already stated about it, is that it's not something that would be worth the time spent implementing it.
Dec 30, 2012 ryan reign link
Tarenty... what have I told you about agreeing with me! DE-1413e, do you see what you have done here? Do you have any idea the pain you cause Tarenty and myself by putting him in a position where he agrees with me?
Dec 30, 2012 tarenty link
I have to shower now. :(

If you cannot afford $10 a month, you should not be playing games, you should be working.
Dec 30, 2012 Whistler link
VO is a for-profit game that is in constant development. I don't understand how this plan would benefit Guild or subscribers. The current trial period is to provide potential subscribers a "taste" of the game, whereas this plan appears to benefit those who have little intention of ever subscribing. I think it would be a poor use of development time to do this.
Dec 30, 2012 Drevent1 link
why is someone who does not pay allowed to post on the forum ?
Dec 30, 2012 ryan reign link
Because it's a forum.
Dec 30, 2012 Kierky link
lol
Dec 31, 2012 Espionage link
This thread ridiculous the op can't be dead serious.

There's a reason why people don't just make a new trail account every 8 hours like you do, it's because it's inefficient to do so. That's how a large proportion of the software industry makes a living; by restricting its software and charging for the release of that restriction. There is no way that the devs would ever adopt this kind of model for that reason alone.