Suggestion: Have a B2P option for Age of Conan

[ExileOfPatria]

I think that people who have defended the subscription here ...since they are subscribers ...are just defending what they have already purchased. Instead of considering what I'm suggesting.

Don't get me wrong (and if you read my OP) i'm Not against the SUBSCRIPTION Option . But there is no reason for a casual player of this game to purchase these overpriced unlocks.
But Why should I subscribe if i'm going to be a casual player of AoC. Instead of subscribing to nearly 7yr old game, I could put that money into buying DLC/Expansions to the (see below) B2P games, or to subscribe to them to get the bonuses.


Some of the top rated games are B2P, and are successful. (see => http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/s...nk/sOrder/desc)

TSW (Buy: $30, DLC ~$10, subscription optional) - if you subscribe you get bonuses of $10 bonus points each month, xp booster, monthly bonus item, 10% discount on store. Purchases of DLC to access new content.
GW2 (Buy: ~$60, NO subscription) - No content is lock off, recently announced expansion
ESO (Buy: $60, starting March 17th subscription optional) - if you subscribe you get 1500 points each mth, xp boost, and free access to upcoming DLC. Future DLC will be purchasable with points.

* all have in-game stores that for the most part have cosmetic items.

B2P - is good because you pay for what you are getting, the game and DLC are clearly described to you and its features. Also takes less pressure off of the online store.
Subscription Only - You are paying money to a company on the hopes they will provide good content in the future, often times you are just paying them to keep the game going and to FIX the game, with hit and miss content updates
F2P - just becomes a giant cash shop, with P2W items

B2P with Sub optional - positively motivates people to subscribe by giving additional Benifits to having the subscription
F2P with Sub optional - negatively motivates people to subscribe by locking off Features / Content of the game

Age of Conan
is a cross between Subscription and F2P - Sure the subscription discounts are great (upto 45% off) but you need to commit ~$100 up front, with the hopes they provide good content in the future (historically from my point of view that has been hit and miss, aka shires of boring). AoC is a major cash shop mentality with some P2W items. The negatively motivate players to subscribe by limiting features and access to end game content, with EXTREMELY over priced unlocks. All this does is punish a player for Not subscribing, giving very little wiggle room between a glorified game trial and a fully committed subscriber to the game.

If AoC had a B2P option (of some sort) it would positively motivate players to become subscribers (allowing for a causal gamer option), giving Funcom some revenue from the purchase of a one-time unlock, taking pressure off of the online store. They could continue to make money from DLC allowing the company to focus their marketing to bring in new customers.

[Villith]

I am not sure if you remember what the original f2p model was, but it fit a lot more in line with the restricted model that strangled you into paying a subscription. Originally, you could only play as guardian, barbarian, priest of Mitra, and demonologist. There were a handful of pre 80 dungeons available (I only remember the lowest level one was Cradle of Decay). The gold cap was 2. There were zero level 80 dungeons to do as a freebie. The closest thing to a lvl 80 dungeon you do enter were villas and the scale-able resource dungeons.

In a sense, you could think of current AoC freebie model as already having the entire base game at launch for free, and you are only paying a subscription on expansions (which thankfully have been free lately, with Dragon's Spine, House of Crom, and Unchained T5 raids are immediate examples). So instead of buying an expansion they may possibly never support, you get all expansions essentially for just your subscription fee.

Also, I am confused as to why you list Savage Coast of Turan as a needing a b2p option, as that is the one part of the game you can access whether you are freebie or premium (yes, even Ardashir Fort and Temple of Erlik). I have let my subscription lapse a few times, and have still been able to grind for rares in Dead Man's Hand and Isle of Iron Statues, as well as a handful of T4 tokens (though not many people run T3.5 anymore).

[Shax84]

I just went through my payments to Funcom on my account page. Around €900 paid since november 2008. Most are yearly subscriptions, but there are some monthly subscriptions, and six month subscriptions in there. Six years and three months, I've been premium. Thats 75 months. Average €12 per month including cost of game, RoTGS and Turan.

If someone told me back in 2008 that I would over time spend that silly amount of time and money on a game that would not be finished even in 2015, well. The choice would be obvious.

But I did spend that money. I did make those friends and aquaintances in game that I speak with and game with nearly every day. Do I feel regret now in past tense? Not really. The feeling could be compared to disappointment. That Funcom made a game too advanced for them selves to maintain, upgrade and bugfix.

It is disappointing. Even the past year there has been no major new bugs. A few glitches in new content that was quickly fixed, but nothing new and serious. But lets count the annoying things that has been around for more than a YEAR and nothing has been done to fix (as we know as customers).

Invisible horses and running on top of mounts.
Looting options bug.
Resurrection window bug.
Video lockout in AoK.
Failed to authenticate with character server.
Sprint error after crashing to desktop.
Visual armor and weapon cutting and displacement.
Health bugs in groups.
Falling through the ground in some instances, but not dying.
Options and chat window saving errors.
Character preview not updating.
Community server bugs, with guild list and friends list.
Having to watch for all the 12-15 windows updates not to install.
Inability to install higher version than Internet Explorer 9 (security vulnerability).
And many more...

I have had so many fun and good times in Age of Conan, but looking at these serious issues I have listed above and thinking back, I would never not ever have paid that crazy amount of money to still be playing this game. We subscribers throw money at you, Funcom, for a game that we believe some day may be rid of perhaps some of these bugs, but in reality we are likely just too gullible and too stuck in a game that has been invested enormous amounts of time in.

[Belsvard]

i don't really know how funcom manage their business, but for me, B2P would be great for AoC. same model as TSW.
i don't feel like paying $15/month for this game anymore, or any other.
this is probably a bad place to say this, but as a customer this game makes me feel like an intruder in their homes untill i pay them and even then is like "alright you bought this game, now, pay me for play it or you're ****"

AoC is perhaps the best MMO i've played, but certainly, i don't want to pay for play anymore.

[cins]

AoC is perhaps the best MMO i've played, but certainly, i don't want to pay for play anymore.

This here is the thing. If I want good gameplay, I'll play DCUO (for free). If I want pretty princess dressup, I'll play CO (for free). If I want a good setting, I'll play LOTRO (for free). If I want old school questing, I'll play DDO (for free). Anything I want, I can get elsewhere for free. So I'm not paying rent for an imaginary world.

I'll never pay a sub to any game again, the ship has sailed. I'm not against paying to buy something, Ardashir is awesome and I'm very happy with it; I'd probably pay moderate amounts of money if there was an offer of permanent BRC/Khitai/HoC/Dragonspine/Unchained/etc access, but I won't be milked monthly. So sell me BRC for 5 bucks, I'll buy it. I'd maybe accept to pay 20 bucks for Grasslands and its dungeons, or 8 bucks for Vile. That's the only way they'll ever get money out of me again.

[ExileOfPatria]

.... I am confused as to why you list Savage Coast of Turan as a needing a b2p option, as that is the one part of the game you can access whether you are freebie or premium (yes, even Ardashir Fort and Temple of Erlik). I have let my subscription lapse a few times, and have still been able to grind for rares in Dead Man's Hand and Isle of Iron Statues, as well as a handful of T4 tokens (though not many people run T3.5 anymore).

If this is true that is great!
...but they still show it in the In-game store "The Savage Coast of Turan Standard Pack" for 1750 Funcom points ($14.58). There is also a collectors editions "Jewels of Turan" for 7000 points ($58 ...wow).

If it isn't I think it should be included within the main game...or at a much reduced DLC cost (maybe even $5) since the benefit to any one player it a bit mixed.
Level 50 area for people leveling, dungeon that can be repeated at different levels. That's good for more newer players. Instances for more high level players. And 6 man and raid for more advanced players (that maybe rarely every used).

So I think the overall benefit vs cost makes no sense.....but if they are giving people access to it now, then remove it from the In-game store!

[Villith]

I think you misunderstood. Savage Coast of Turan is a b2p expansion. You buy it in the store and have permanent access to it. Whether subbed or freebie, all Turan content is unlocked AFTER you buy the expansion.

[ExileOfPatria]

I think you misunderstood. Savage Coast of Turan is a b2p expansion. You buy it in the store and have permanent access to it. Whether subbed or freebie, all Turan content is unlocked AFTER you buy the expansion.

No I don't think I misunderstood when you said "you can access whether you are freebie or premium".

either way, the point I wanted to make was ....to "have all new and current content purchasable"....this would have included "Dragon's Spine as a DLC" and "The Savage Cost of Turan as a DLC". The reason I said $10 as it would be inline with how funcom does their DLC for TSW. It keeps it simple and IF they give $10 worth of bonus points for Subscribing (just like in TSW) it would give an additional benefit to subscribing. Spend a little more and you get the added benefits of the subscription (loyalty reward, xp booster, $10 of bonus points, discount off of the ingame store, early access).

[The-Righteous]

You can't have B2P because that would mean Funcom would have to produce content for AoC in a timely manner, something they are incapable of doing. The Funcom financial report is clear; revenues are declining and operating costs (ie: development resources) are being adjusted to reflect that. Funcom has no interest in reinvesting into AoC. They're going to continue coasting along trying to make every last dollar they can until they eventually close the servers in 2-3 years.

[Chriscause]

I completely agree with it being way too expensive.. comparing to a bunch of other MMORPG's out there, the developers come out with very Little new content.
And yes i know you need the Money Funcom but you can get part-time jobs... like taxi driver....... or mayby just announce your damn games a Little better! Not hatin' just tellin' da trooth!