I have to say I played this a few times and played eve online too and I see them as direct competitors so I feel it fair to talk about both. I love the combat in vendetta and hate eve but I love the complexity of gameplay in eve. If I was to invest in a game that was smaller id love to make huge changes to vendetta to add layers to make it more interesting and polished like eve. Aso make it free to play with in game ships and other stuff that you pay for and a system for trading in game where the devs take a cut like the auction house in D3.

Like I feel like its a game that could have a huge casual base of players but the monthly fee is the barrier that I found to be hugely blocking for the popularity of the game. This type of game is hugely addictive and you can just play for hours and have fun but I think you have to get people playing for a little longer before you should ask for money from them when its aimed at casuals.

Hey, I feel the same way about the free to play thing; here is a thread on the subject which I need some feedback on: http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/27084 . The devs have only recently been open to the idea of implementing a f2p option, but they also don't want it so you have in game advantages by throwing loads of cash at the game; this leaves us with only a few options for a f2p implementation, which I am currently trying to flesh out.

Well its not exactly about throwing cash at the situation though. LoL didn't have a whole lot of money to throw at it initially at all but it worked because they had a good model behind it. I think there is huge interest in this type of game like eve is a very good example of how it can be successful because people enjoy space sims and I have to say in terms of gameplay VO is better (although id still add some automated stuff similar to eve but id always keep the shooter aspect because that is way more interesting than how eve does it because you are actually controlling the ship and the main cannons).

The simple way it works is it takes a huge jump and the dedicated players already pledged 30k to kickstarter so people really believe and love this game. Going free to play would change the game drastically but it would also need for the work to be put in from guild about the model and really think about it.

I think the best way is something along the lines of what they are suggesting and having a free form universe that is procedurally generated but id go even further and have the balance of power and control be the driving forces of the business model for the company. People will pay for better ships or faster boosters or more shields or what ever, have the players mine for resources build the items and sell them. The in game money would be earned and bought and it would be 100% profit for them.

It even seems a little more value added than having to earn everything by playing to the casual player. Like LoL for instance, if you put time into playing and learning a character and want to pimp him out a bit you buy a skin, the more time you play a game like VO you either pay money or you earn it the hard way and contribute to the economy of the game and in turn get more power in the universe and expand your sector like they are saying in the video but its just adding that little bit extra on top of it and taking the risk that people would pay for stuff like that which they will.

The way it works is you put a price lets say 5 dollars for some reasonable amount of money in game and even do bouns weekends where they can get 10% more in game money or what ever it really doesn't matter but it does work and its proven to work now. Also when your competition is a pay for play model and you are f2p even if you are freemium its still a lot more successful.

While I don't think a direct cash to in-game currency idea is a good one (mainly because the in-game currency is practically worthless atm), I must say your other ideas have merit. If I read it correctly, basically your suggesting if the player wants access to a fancy new ship (lets call it ship A) of a better calibre then said player's current ships, the player can take one of two routes to get the ship:

1. Pay for it via microtransactions.

2. Do something in game for it.

Am I correct on this interpretation? Keep in mind this would work for things like weapons as well, although I'm not sure about shields.

Well if the in game currency is worthless then that is something to be fixed. In game currency is a really good way to go f2p because its very simple. Plus the game dynamic of having to build up your money to get the nice shiny things is really fun to a lot of people. Like having the budget out for that nice cannon or new ship.

Paying for things with micro transactions is really messy because you have to think up prices for everything and that isn't something that would be smart.

The only other way I can see it working is a store type model. In game systems and plans for sale for in game currency or for real money like in Diablo 3. In this type of thing, the players choose the value of the item and either players pay for that or they don't because its too expensive and it is like real worth like in a real store. In that case the items would be procedurally generated and have special stats that would be of value. That is a really interesting way of doing it but a lot more risk and a lot more libel so I wouldn't suggest it but it does have traction if you want huge profits. Like take 20% from each transaction and you pretty much print the money. But still it has legal complications and that is why only a company like Blizzard can do something like that.

They already have the Lite subscription. It's a dollar a month. Get a phone and buy it through the mobile client or wait until they implement it for the computer client.

Inc already said that F2P isn't happening.

I left and spent plenty of time bad-mouthing D3 and Blizz over the RMAH (and made a couple thou shorting ATVI right around the time it became blindingly clear that D3 was sucking hard -- which felt really great after the attack speed nerf to RMAH items :P), and would happily do the same to VO were the Devs ever boneheaded enough to implement something like it.

99% of the time, the people who want F2P are just kids without credit cards.
(Who can't or won't ask their parental units to cough up the measly $10/month.)

Get a checking account. Pay the paltry sum to play the game. Sheesh.
You tots aren't entitled to free entertainment just because you whine the hardest.

do we really want more pilots yes
do we really want lots of freeloading teenagers running around spoiling the game for the paying adults .........no

^^^^^^^^^ seconds and thirds that