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ArcheAge FAQ mentions testing plans, optional subscription, and housing limitations [Update]
Trion Worlds has published a new FAQ for ArcheAge today that concentrates on testing plans and core features of its upcoming Western version. The team said that alpha testing is imminent and will be followed by beta events leading up to launch, still set for sometime in 2014. While fans can sign up on the site for a chance at a key, Trion said that soon-to-be-revealed founders packs will guarantee beta access. ArcheAge will be adopting a hybrid F2P model including an optional subscription. This subscription will be necessary if a player wants to own his or her own house in the game, as the "limited real estate" will be earmarked for paying customers only. Trion addressed its level of control over the title in its relationship with developer XLGAMES and indicated that the Korean 1.0 patch changes will not be coming to the West: "We work with XLGAMES to understand and new features that are added to ArcheAge in the East to determine how well they will be accepted in our regions, and then offer feedback. XLGAMES has been fantastic in addressing that feedback as best as they can. In situations where a feature is added that we don't think will be appropriate for our audiences, we work with XLGAMES to modify or remove that feature from our version." [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Tamriel Infinium: Four alternative payment models for The Elder Scrolls Online
I don't blame fans for the backlash against the Elder Scrolls Online's proposed business model. But I still believe there is a place in the MMO industry for subscriptions. Traditional MMOs and even games like WildStar, which has less-than-traditional MMO mechanics but sports a more traditional MMO theme, can certainly support a monthly subscription. So why does a subscription feel so wrong for ESO? First, players are tired of subscriptions, and for most people, a sub means they can play only one or maybe two games in any given month. Many players prefer variety instead. Second, ESO developers have already suggested that the game is less an MMO and more a multiplayer Elder Scrolls game. This in and of itself suggests that the game will not fall under the traditional constraints of an MMORPG and will operate more like a single-player game even though the model feels like an MMORPG model to my wallet. In last week's Tamriel Inifinium, I talked a lot about why I thought the subscription model was completely wrong for this Elder Scrolls game, so I don't want to rehash that discussion this week. Instead, let's dream about alternative payment models that might have worked instead.
Funcom is ready to take The Secret World F2P if need be
Funcom's new CEO is tackling tough questions about the future of The Secret World, saying that the studio is prepared to take the title free-to-play -- if need be. In an interview with GamesIndustry, Ole Schreiner said that TSW was developed to be subscription-based with the options to change the model down the road. "We tried leaving our options open during development so that we could launch with a different model should we have decided during development that's what we wanted, but eventually we did settle on the subscription model and that's what informed much of the game's design," Schreiner said. "That said we definitely have the tools to turn The Secret World into a free-to-play game -- or even hybrid -- should we decide to do that somewhere down the line." Schreiner admitted that it's become difficult for subscription titles to thrive in a F2P-dominated field. He added that The Secret World is now a "profitable operation" following the studio's restructuring: "Despite the obvious challenges, I definitely think we're heading into a promising future for Funcom."
Raph Koster talks about free-to-play models and whales
The idea of free-to-play business models can prompt a lot of venom from players who are certain that the model, essentially, is a trick. You'll be forced into paying for the game somehow, or you'll be able to pay extra money and walk away with all of the best stuff in the game. Raph Koster has a different view of things from a business standpoint, and he outlines how the free-to-play model works out in practice in a recent blog entry. Koster explains that you wind up with a handful of players who sink a huge amount of money into the game, while most users (upwards of 60%) never pay a dime. The users who do pay that much money, referred to as "whales," are essentially being treated as if they're in a retail store, compared to the more traditional model where you pay $60 for a game only to find out you don't like it. Whatever your views on the model, it's an interesting look at the changing face of monetizing games and is well worth a read.
The Road to Mordor: Getting the most out of your F2P account
We're going to step waaay back from Rise of Isengard today (screenshots notwithstanding) to address a question that I've seen pop up time and again. The question comes from players on the free-to-play side of the game who are wondering "What do I need to do or buy to get the most out of my LotRO gaming experience?" In my opinion, the lovely aspect of Lord of the Rings Online's hybrid model is that you, the player, have a wide range of choices when it comes to how you want to fund your gameplay. If you decide not to go the subscription/VIP route, it can get a little confusing, especially in light of just how much there is in the LotRO store. Do you need to buy anything at all? What are the essentials? How should you go about earning some free Turbine Points to finance these purchases? Unlike many other recent MMO F2P conversions, LotRO's offers you more flexibility than "just suffer with F2P restrictions or subscribe," which should give you hope that you can tailor the game to your exact needs. In today's Road to Mordor, I'm going to put myself in the shoes of a F2P player and tell you exactly what I'd do to get the most out of my account.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Nine misconceptions about Freedom
So one of the interesting elements of having written up the initial column and post on the newest City of Heroes change is that I didn't have time to really see what the community reaction would be. I knew that I was excited about City of Heroes Freedom, and I knew that there was a lot to hope for, but the only guess I could make was that people would crow about the game's impending demise rather than focusing on the many positives coming from the switch to a hybrid model. It's been two weeks now, and while I won't claim to have my finger on the pulse of the community (who the heck is Leonardo Leonardo?), I do think I've gotten a general idea of the biggest complaints about the upcoming change. Some of them are entirely accurate -- yes, you will have free players on your server, and yes, that will include the already-burgeoning Virtue. But other complaints are a bit inaccurate or stem from misunderstandings, so today I want to talk about the nine points that seem most frequently misunderstood about Freedom.
PAX East 2011: Turbine makes the case for the free-to-play model
"Pioneers get the gold!" Turbine's Fernando Paiz is fond of saying. "And they get the arrows too..." Instead of the wild, wild west, Paiz was referring to the frontier of MMORPG business models, companies that have diverged from traditional subscriptions over the past 10 years. In a presentation at PAX East titled "The Game Monetization Revolution," he shared how this movement has come about, ways that it can fail, and how pioneers have grabbed the gold by getting it right. Of course, Paiz has a great perspective on this revolution, having helmed Dungeons & Dragons Online as it made the transition from a pure subscription game to a hybrid free-to-play/subscription title. Both DDO and Lord of the Rings Online have done tremendously well since moving to this business model, proving that AAA titles can thrive outside of the subscription-only checkout lane. Hit the jump as Fernando Paiz takes us down memory lane and addresses the biggest fear players have with F2P.
One Shots: The asylum awaits
With SOE having now rolled out the EverQuest II Extended servers into a soft launch, there are tons of folks heading into Norrath to check out the game. Meanwhile, life continues as normal on the EverQuest II servers, with higher-level groups heading into strange dungeons. One such example is the spot we see in today's One Shots, courtesy of fellow MMO blogger Ratwarlock, who also goes by Araxes on the Antonia Bayle server. He notes that this "is from the interior of the Necrotic Asylum, another of the 6-man instanced dungeons" from The Shadow Odyssey. Ratwarlock also assures us that the dungeon this was taken in is "one of the harder ones!" Calling all MMO players! We need your screenshots for One Shots. If you've seen anything fun, imposing, interesting, or silly, we want to hear from you. If you haven't, gather up your group of friends and go have some fun -- then send some screens of that in! All MMOs -- from large-budget to tiny indie, East to West -- are welcome. Send them to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name/server/game and a quick description of what we're seeing. Reader submissions keep One Shots running, so send some in today! %Gallery-85937%
One million new adventurers in Dungeons and Dragons Online
For all that the Penny Arcade guys may have made a joke about the old Dungeons and Dragons Online format, there's no disputing that the change to a hybrid free-to-play model has given the game a new lease on life. Groups aren't hard to find; the cities are bustling; and players have great things to say about their hybrid model which allows you to either work for rewards or pay a small fee for the level of content you want. Add to that Turbine's wonderful graphics and passionate devotion to their games -- and player-base -- and you can see why Dungeons and Dragons Online is just getting better.That's why it should come as no surprise to hear that since relaunching as a hybrid F2P in September, DDO has managed to amass more than 1 million new players who had never played the game before. According to Turbine, there are over twice as many paid subscribers as there were prior to the change. The revenue from DDO store transactions is now also over 500% -- three times the industry standard for similar titles!
