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Free for All: Turbine's pristine payment plan perfects pay-to-win
There is one recurring statement that bothers me to no end, largely because it is simply not true. Most of the time if I pursue the player who uses the term, he will admit to using it only to justify his dissatisfaction with a handful of free-to-play games. That term is "free-to-play is pay-to-win." Essentially, the term refers to gaining advantages over other players through one's pocketbook, by buying power. As someone who has played, investigated, talked about or interviewed developers of over 100 free-to-play games, I can tell you that a "pay-to-win" scenario exists in the minority of games, not in the majority as some would have you believe. Most of the comments from the "pay-to-win" playbook come in more recent times, but that could be because my column has provided a nice, fertile space for everything anti-free-to-play. But I have found the most vocal of the detractors to be referencing recent free-to-play games like Allods Online, primarily because they may have loved it so much, yet did not want to pay a single dime for it -- and because they simply had not played many free-to-play games before that. Allods Online was, essentially, their main experience with free-to-play. Meanwhile, I am often shown DDO (or now, Lord of the Rings Online) as some kind of "proper" way to do a cash shop. Ironically, Turbine is now not only the largest, but the closest to a true pay-to-win developer. Anything larger would exist outside of North America.
Turbine pimps Gandalf in a new LotRO commercial
G4 posted a new Lord of the Rings Online F2P commercial that's sure to leave a goofy grin on your face. In it, a crowd in a modern metropolis chants "Free Middle-earth!" outside of the LotRO offices. Inside, a cute hobbit receptionist holds down the fort until the elevator dings and the Big Guy comes out -- Gandalf, rocking a bit of the old (with his trademark hat and staff) and the new (in a swanky suit). He steps out to the crowd and delivers the words they've been longing to hear: "YOU... SHALL NOT... PAY!" Cue one staff strike and the crowd goes wild. Turbine's obviously showing a bit of its humorous side as it celebrates the new payment model. You can view the full video below and then head over to www.lotro.com to download the client.
