22 replies to this topic

[Thomas Covenant]

Capt Jester, on 12 January 2013 - 04:45 PM, said:

When I add Premium Time, how does the time run down? If I buy a day at 2:00 PM today, will it be gone at 2:00 PM tomorrow? Or will it last for 24 hours of game time? I know that's a lot but I would just like to clear it up.

(link)

I'd like to suggest 'use based' premium time, 24 hours is 24 hours of gameplay. This is the product the 2-3 hr a day players want.

Spoiler

Math for "Continuous Countdown" Premium Time Costs

Buying Premium day by day = 250 mc per day
Buying Premium yearly = 66 mc per day

Buying mc at $7.00 = 0.0056 dollars per mc
Buying mc at $100.00 = 0.004 dollars per mc

Note: Sales of either mc or premium will lower these amounts
Note: Once you activate premium it counts down until it's gone. New purchased premium is not affected(correct me if I'm wrong about these facts)
Note: People wanting the best deal will need to spend the largest amount of money and the longest subscription.

Spend $7 and buy premium daily for: $1.40 per day/ $42 per month
Spend $7 and buy premium yearly for: $0.37 per day/ $11.09 per month
Spend $100 and buy premium daily for: $1 per day/ $30 per month
Spend $100 and buy premium yearly for: $0.27 per day/ $7.92 per month

Edited by Thomas Covenant, 28 May 2013 - 04:05 PM.

[von Pilsner]

I just don't see how your idea benefits PGI or IGP at all, I doubt they will go for this one.

[Crimson Fenris]

They only have to calculate how much time an average player spent on the game during one month, and sell the premium time accordingly, like a 10/15$ per month maybe ?

Let's see... about 3 hour a day, counting average playtime including weekends ?
That's 90 hours a month, four 24-hours days.

I'll gladly pay 10-15$ for 90 hours of actual play.
Think about most 60$ games that offers between 6 and 15 hours of play...

Then the average player will regularly spend 10/15$ a month, instead of waiting the game to be perfect before buying premium time ?

I can now see the benefit. For me and for PGI. Dont you ?

Thanks to your idea, too bad the devs got no time to look into that...

Edited by Crimson Fenris, 23 May 2013 - 01:46 AM.

[twibs]

Not gonna happen. Think of the whine when there's one lone raven hiding in some bush, 'eating the winner premium' while he just wants to play it out.

3hrs every day for a month is alot of gaming to one game, yes still impossible to accurately calculate. Bottom line, too much hassle for what it's worth.

[MasterErrant]

I abstained on my vote because I don't prefer your interpretation...
I'd be happy the buy premium time on a per hour basis. sy you6.93 giving four hours of premium game time and that time omly being used when you atre in drop.... that's about what I get out of a day of PRemium now.

[Small Baguette]

Crimson Fenris, on 23 May 2013 - 01:41 AM, said:

Then the average player will regularly spend 10/15$ a month

...yeah, but that's what it currently costs for a month of premium time so what's the difference?

There is a reason that no games opt for this form of premium time: it's business suicide. If a player has a month of premium time purchased it encourages them to come back and play MWO within that timeframe. The user then invests more time and develops more attachment to the experience which in turns has a knock-on effect that results in a higher likelihood of future purchases of premium time. PGI keep releasing new content that you want and the cycle continues.

With the use based time the user now no longer has that urge to make the most of their premium time and play the game. While you may, somehow, see this as unfair; it's a simple fact that this game is a commercial product and is based on monetisation. The thoughts of use based premium time is outrageous on so many levels.

Sure, it'd be nice but it's just not viable.

[Neolisk]

Uljira, on 23 May 2013 - 03:56 PM, said:

Sure, it'd be nice but it's just not viable.

I don't agree. Currently I see no point in spending anything on premium time, simply because I play 1 hour per day, two days per week, on average. With this suggestion, it makes me want to buy some premium time, because I would actually spend something I bought, and not regret about 90% of that lost for whatever reason. I am okay with having 5% of it lost due to some player hiding in the bushes, as it was suggested above.

[Small Baguette]

While that may be true for you, I strongly believe that overall they would lose a huge amount of money this way. The majority of people that are not interested in shelling out for premium time right now more than likely aren't going to change their tone if it changes to a use based system.

I have literally never heard of a game that has use based premium time. If it was actually viable then it would be implemented by some games, at the very least, but that's simply not the case.

[Crimson Fenris]

Take the suggestion by another side of view :
If a majority of players would not spend money for something they will 90% waste because of their available gaming time, maybe introducing a formula that will enable them to efficiently use their time will enact them to spend money more often, or at least, be more willingly to do it.

That's a "you got the right thing for your bucks" feeling, and currently I dont really feel it on anything in this game, except maybe during some interesting sales (wich are not legion...).

Players that are not able to spend more time, for various reasons, on the game will not feel spoiled.
And there is IMO no relation with the "attachment" you speak about : casuals wont become hardcore gamers only because they spent some bucks that are inexorably wasted over non-played time.
They will only be sad about time they couldnt invest in that game, thus more willingly to not invest any money, since they cannot afford the time...

Alternatively, you can have a "peremption date" for the premium time you bought : that's the principle of prepaid phone cards, or cinema cards, and it is a very valid concept for both parts (consumer as editor).


Finally, I coulnt agree with your "business suicide" assumption : this is a free to play, where a vast portion of playerbase doesnt invest any money in, and premium time is FAR to be the main revenue source for them, considering all the much more useful options, like hangar bays, hero mechs, colors and camos, consumables, etc.
I strongly believe premium time is one of the most useless stuff you can buy with money, since all the benefits are to ease the grinding for things already accessible to free players...

In this case, why do not make it worth its bucks ?

Edited by Crimson Fenris, 24 May 2013 - 01:07 AM.

[HiplyRustic]

You left off one important option in the cost vote "No more expensive, at all". Sheesh, don't you think there are enough freaking MC sinks in this "free to play" mmo already? Having said that:

I don't think it's going to happen. As pointed out previously it doesn't benefit PGI at all...in fact it takes money from them. I would love to see it, but not going to happen.

Crimson Fenris, on 23 May 2013 - 01:41 AM, said:

They only have to calculate how much time an average player spent on the game during one month, and sell the premium time accordingly, like a 10/15$ per month maybe ?

Let's see... about 3 hour a day, counting average playtime including weekends ?
That's 90 hours a month, four 24-hours days.

I'll gladly pay 10-15$ for 90 hours of actual play.
Think about most 60$ games that offers between 6 and 15 hours of play...

Then the average player will regularly spend 10/15$ a month, instead of waiting the game to be perfect before buying premium time ?

I can now see the benefit. For me and for PGI. Dont you ?

Thanks to your idea, too bad the devs got no time to look into that...

That's called, in most MMOs, a subscription.

twibs, on 23 May 2013 - 01:56 AM, said:

Not gonna happen. Think of the whine when there's one lone raven hiding in some bush, 'eating the winner premium' while he just wants to play it out.

3hrs every day for a month is alot of gaming to one game, yes still impossible to accurately calculate. Bottom line, too much hassle for what it's worth.

Um, what??

Edited by HiplyRustic, 26 May 2013 - 05:09 AM.

[Thomas Covenant]

Its amazing when you forget to follow your own topic. Interesting conversation.

[Thomas Covenant]

Quote

What is reasonable as far as pricing?

As far as pricing minimum I think it should be so a player can play for an hour a day and for a month only pay $10. That would be 10/30= 34 cents an hour.

[Typhoon Storm 2142]

von Pilsner, on 22 May 2013 - 03:18 PM, said:

I just don't see how your idea benefits PGI or IGP at all, I doubt they will go for this one.

You just don't see it? Does "more paying customers" mean anything to you? Anything at all? No? Ok, go back to sleep then.

[HiplyRustic]

Typhoon Storm 2142, on 27 May 2013 - 04:13 AM, said:

You just don't see it? Does "more paying customers" mean anything to you? Anything at all? No? Ok, go back to sleep then.

You have not shown how this will mean more revenue for them. Having it be use-based, which by the way I would fully support, means that I would spend much less on premium time, not more. Unless you jack the price as you have done, which would cause me to stop buying it whether it was use-based or not.

[Typhoon Storm 2142]

HiplyRustic, on 27 May 2013 - 04:54 AM, said:

You have not shown how this will mean more revenue for them.

Is it so hard, really? Isn't it logical, that many people would rather buy premium time, if it wouldn't just go up in smoke while you're not online? I, personally would spend money on buying premium time, if it did not ran down the drain while I'm asleep, at work, screwing my GF or generally, NOT SITTING IN FRONT OF MY PC. But it does. So, I will not spend the money.

Why pay for 30 days, if I only got time for 3 consecutive days of MWO each month?

A good way to implement this would be, selling hours of time. Like 60 hours for the same amount of cash you currently pay for a month.

Just an idea.

[Appogee]

I'd like it, but there's no way PGI are going to allow us to stockpile credit in that way.

[Neolisk]

Thomas Covenant, on 26 May 2013 - 07:19 PM, said:

As far as pricing minimum I think it should be so a player can play for an hour a day and for a month only pay $10. That would be 10/30= 34 cents an hour.

I'd be okay with even as high as 50 cents per hour, which is roughly equivalent to 15$/month with your schedule.

[Thomas Covenant]

HiplyRustic, on 27 May 2013 - 04:54 AM, said:

You have not shown how this will mean more revenue for them. Having it be use-based, which by the way I would fully support, means that I would spend much less on premium time, not more. Unless you jack the price as you have done, which would cause me to stop buying it whether it was use-based or not.

I kind of feel they should do away with time based premium in favor of this. I will add it to the poll.

[Thomas Covenant]

Added "Should MWO do away with time base premium altogether in favor of use based?"

"What is reasonable as far as pricing?" was deleted, saved, then remade to be more concrete with its options.
The old format of "less than double" "double to triple" "five times more" ten times plus more" "abstain" was lead by "abstain". Sadly I lacked to forseight to record the old votes before changing it.

You can regain your vote in order to participate on these two questions by choosing "delete my vote"

Edited by Thomas Covenant, 27 May 2013 - 03:23 PM.

[Aslena]

use based is awful, I probably would never buy it again. Currently I spend my 15 a month and I'm done like every MMO. having to worry about it all the time like that would be a pain. I want to give them my monthly fee so they are getting plenty of money to make the game good.