84 replies to this topic

[UrsusMorologus]

Water Bear, on 02 December 2014 - 08:11 AM, said:

It does, it's called premium time.

The real question is why people don't think of premium time as a subscription.

Because it isnt one

Premium time is just one possible element for getting auto-renewed CC payment

[Kalimaster]

If this is done, a large percentage of players will not be able to play this game. BEWARNED. In fact, a large percentage.

[Sprouticus]

As someone pointed out, getting permium time + Mc would be like $4/month. I would not mind that, it saves me the hassle of buying MC and premium time


What I would REALLY like though numbers below would probably need tweaking):

Subscription level 1 :

$5/month (or say $50/year if you pay ahead)
Premium time while active
500 MC/month
10m-20 CB/month


Subscription Level 2

$12/month ($100/year)
Everything in level 1 +
50% off any package or mech purchased with $$ (after being active 1 month)
50% off MC purchases (after being active for 1 month)
1 of every module released (after being active 1 month)



Level 1 would just be a nice revenue stream for PGI.
Level 2 would be for those of us who know we are going spend $$ and want long term saving while again giving PGI a nice known quantity of revenue. Plus it makes OUR budgeting easier.


In the end the amount of $$ spent would be about the same for all but the biggest spenders, and it actually would encourage people like me to buy more MC, packages, etc to maximize the discount and get value for the subscription.

Kalimaster, on 02 December 2014 - 08:16 AM, said:

If this is done, a large percentage of players will not be able to play this game. BEWARNED. In fact, a large percentage.

As noted, this would be an option. You could still keep all the current payment (or F2P) options. Just add a subscription for those of us who want to spread the payments out.

Edited by Sprouticus, 02 December 2014 - 08:26 AM.

[LT. HARDCASE]

Just give me a subscription option that:

Covers all of the yearly mech packs, and their rewards
365 premium time
Fixed discount on Hero mechs, cockpit items, colors

[1453 R]

Senor Cataclysmo, on 01 December 2014 - 11:55 PM, said:

What do you mean? I've never not felt like I was getting my money's worth with WoW

In this man's humble opinion, Warcraft ruined the entire MMO genre for several years. It's a horrible skinner box and a complete bait-n-switch carefully, deliberately crafted to extract maximum addiction rates from its players whilst disregarding any such thing as "fun", "enjoyment", or "accomplishment". Its runaway success and the eight hundred million palette-swapped clones that success spawned stymied the development of the genre almost completely up until only a couple-odd years ago when it finally started losing steam. A big part of that problem is the subscription model, which makes many players feel as if they're being forced to play the game in question in order to avoid losing money - even if they don't particularly like the game or feel like playing it at the time.

Like I said. Losing my premium time is bad enough in MWO, and MWO's monetization model has its own legion of issues, but at least they don't lock my account and/or threaten to break my kneecaps if I don't keep paying my protection money subscription fee every month.

Senor Cataclysmo, on 01 December 2014 - 11:55 PM, said:

Same. I don't understand where the money to develop an f2p game comes from. It just feels like I'm getting something for nothing & the game might just go away any minute.

It comes from the three percent of any given F2P's player base who, like me, spend far more money than they know they should on this game. As a purchaser of a good couple-odd hundred thousand MC over the years and owner of practically every top-end 'Mech package Piranha's kicked out, I've paid my 'subscription fee' for quite a few years running, as well as the subscription fees of a number of my free-player compatriots. A F2P is by necessity smaller than a sub game as well and is able to get away with a smaller team and less frequent major feature updates. That and you're underestimating the number of microtransactions even a moderately-sized playerbase can generate. The fifteen-dollar MC pack gets you plenty of stuff, and any player who buys a fifteen-dollar MC pack has paid their monthly shot, hm? Enough of those per month - even if they're not the same guys - and the game keeps on chugging.

And it also means that whatever you get is bought and paid for, instead of renting your own bloody crap from the game developer, with the ever-present looming threat of losing all the progress you've worked on for years just because you can't make your sub payment for a month or two.

[Syrkres]

The nice thing about Monthly payments is that PGI can more accurately determine what they will make, thus likely to hire more developers.

When you know you have a constant monthly income it's easier to plan ahead.

They could still offer mech packs and such above the monthly income, like most games offer expansions (you still have to pay for the expansion).

The monthly as stated would get you some basic perks, premium time, free mech bay? etc.

[Gauvan]

I don't think anyone would seriously suggest getting rid of the current payment model. Subscriptions would be an add on, not a replacement.

Because of my personal time/money value equation, I am never going to play MWO without premium time and mentally treat it like a subscription. If there was a subscription option with a fair value I'd most likely subscribe as it is more convenient for me.

If the benefits of subscriptions go beyond premium time I think caution is in order. Premium time plus a monthly MC bonus sounds reasonable and fair. Discounts on cosmetics would be safe, I would think. I don’t think locking mechs, weapons, or modules behind a subscription requirement is acceptable as the access model for that content has been well established.

I dislike the term F2P actually. No commercial product is really F2P because no commercial product is free to make, to maintain, or to improve. MWO is no different. Things like prices and earning rate are all balanced around premium time. MC plays into human psychology in that once you convert real money to spacebucks your brain treats spending spacebucks differently. Averaged across the player base, there is going to be a target amount of revenue per person that MWO is designed to generate. All this is fine--I’m paying PGI for a product and a service.

All a subscription model would do is remove some of the handwaving for those who prefer that approach.

Edited by Gauvan, 02 December 2014 - 10:25 AM.

[Angel of Annihilation]

I wouldn't mind a reoccurring subscription option if it was the right pack. I would want something more than just premium time though I am not sure what benefits to add because the options right now are sparse.

Edited by Viktor Drake, 02 December 2014 - 10:32 AM.

[Mercules]

UrsusMorologus, on 02 December 2014 - 06:42 AM, said:

Another option on top of the ideas presented in the thread is give veteran rewards for continued subs, something like a AS7-D(V) varient if you sub consistently for a year

Excellent idea... another mech I'll probably pilot once and then set aside. I don't pilot assaults, I reaffirmed this when I got my last "free" Atlas. Sometimes "veteran rewards" are poorly chosen. Okay, usually veteran rewards are poorly chosen.

[Water Bear]

UrsusMorologus, on 02 December 2014 - 08:15 AM, said:

Because it isnt one

Premium time is just one possible element for getting auto-renewed CC payment

Is the only difference between premium time and the thing you call a subscription that premium time doesn't auto renew? I'm not sure if the company that controls this game would really be willing to offer you a discount for using an auto-renew service without a contract since that doesn't guarantee them income any more than premium time already does.

Edited by Water Bear, 02 December 2014 - 10:37 AM.

[F4T 4L]

NextGame, on 02 December 2014 - 12:23 AM, said:

Id be fine with a sub, but it would have to be worthwhile, not just, here you go, some mc and premium time, kthxbye

What would make a, say 15 dollar, monthly subscription worth the money then? PT is a given, but what would sweeten the deal for you, since MC isn't enough?

Edited by F4T 4L, 02 December 2014 - 10:47 AM.

[Angel of Annihilation]

Sprouticus, on 02 December 2014 - 08:25 AM, said:

As someone pointed out, getting permium time + Mc would be like $4/month. I would not mind that, it saves me the hassle of buying MC and premium time


What I would REALLY like though numbers below would probably need tweaking):

Subscription level 1 :

$5/month (or say $50/year if you pay ahead)
Premium time while active
500 MC/month
10m-20 CB/month


Subscription Level 2

$12/month ($100/year)
Everything in level 1 +
50% off any package or mech purchased with $$ (after being active 1 month)
50% off MC purchases (after being active for 1 month)
1 of every module released (after being active 1 month)



Level 1 would just be a nice revenue stream for PGI.
Level 2 would be for those of us who know we are going spend $$ and want long term saving while again giving PGI a nice known quantity of revenue. Plus it makes OUR budgeting easier.


In the end the amount of $$ spent would be about the same for all but the biggest spenders, and it actually would encourage people like me to buy more MC, packages, etc to maximize the discount and get value for the subscription.



As noted, this would be an option. You could still keep all the current payment (or F2P) options. Just add a subscription for those of us who want to spread the payments out.

Don't want much do you?

Seriously, a Subscription would cost $15 a month. Include premium time, some allowance of MC (probably 500 a month) and then some other options like priority access to que in to matches, maybe a 10% discount off the MC cosmetic items like cockpit items, colors, camos but not mechs, and maybe 1-2 other minor bonuses. This is pretty typical what a subscription cost and what it gets you in most other game.

It would have to sweetened a bit more than that for me but if they made the premium bonus 100% for a subscriber, I would be in.

[Creovex]

Please please... call SWTOR up and see what they think about subscription models..

Honestly, they are dead since F2P took over the world of games... thus, realize that you essentially get the same product by buying time in chunks....

[Vassago Rain]

No.

[F4T 4L]

Vassago Rain, on 02 December 2014 - 11:56 AM, said:

No.

Since you don't play the game, what do you care?

OP suggested an option to subscribe. Not a complete change in the funding model. Why would anybody oppose that?

[DEMAX51]

First off: I'd certainly consider a sub option if it had enough value for the money. I've actually been making this suggestion for like, 2 years now.

Second: It absolutely amazes me how many people make false assumptions when people bring this suggestion up. I swear to god, every time someone makes this thread you have:

-Derps who think you want the game to stop being f2p and move strictly to a sub-model
-Derps who actually want to move away from f2p and strictly into a sub-model
-Derps who think a sub-model would, for some reason, prevent them from still being able to buy content piecemeal with MC like they do now
-Derps who think a sub would be exactly the same as Premium Time

... and it's really, really annoying. I honestly can't believe how many people don't realize it would just be one more option for customers, in addition to the purchase options already available, and wouldn't "replace" anything.

It's crazy. People just see the word "Subscription" and their undies get so bunched up, so quickly, it's like it gives their brains a wedgie.

Edited by DEMAX51, 02 December 2014 - 12:15 PM.

[F4T 4L]

DEMAX51, on 02 December 2014 - 12:06 PM, said:

First off: I'd certainly consider a sub option if it had enough value for the money. I've actually been making this suggestion for like, 2 years now.

Second: It absolutely amazes me how many people make false assumptions when people bring this suggestion up. I swear to god, every time someone makes this thread you have:

-Derps who think you want the game to stop being f2p and move strictly to a sub-model
-Derps who actually want to move away from f2p and strictly into a sub-model
-Derps who think a sub-model would, for some reason, prevent them from still being able to buy content piecemeal with MC like they do now
-Derps who think a sub would be exactly the same as Premium Time

... and it's really, really annoying. I honestly can't believe how many people don't realize it would just be one more option for customers, in addition to the purchase options already available, and wouldn't "replace" anything.

50% mc discount on colours/camo, and the same cbill discount on modules, plus enhanced PT, would look damned good to me, and I reckon many others.

Edited by F4T 4L, 02 December 2014 - 12:13 PM.

[F4T 4L]

Kalimaster, on 02 December 2014 - 08:16 AM, said:

If this is done, a large percentage of players will not be able to play this game. BEWARNED. In fact, a large percentage.

Utterly incorrect. Please reread the OP.

[Xythius]

I would definitely be willing to pay some $ each month as a sub. Even for just the unlimited PT. I like some of the other suggestions too - MC stipend, discounts on vanity items, etc.

Not too sure about some of the more 'outlandish' suggestions; discounts on new 'mech packs, or getting them for 'free'. Maybe a week or two window to early-order them or something, but nothing much more than that. The P2W threads around here are bad enough as is, could you imagine if subs were able to get the packs cheaper/sooner? Ugh.. lol.

~Xythius

[Carnifex72]

DDO had/has this dual model of payments. You can subscribe for things like early access, new content etc and they throw in a trickle of their equivalent of MC so you can buy items in the store.

You can *also* go freeium, where you buy what you want to unlock and nothing else. And lastly you can just go free to play and have fun.

Subscribers naturally have earlier and greater access--they payed for it. Its not so different with the clan or phoenix packages.