newsguy99 posted:
my take on a F2P server would be the following..
1) Only allowed on Ywain x (where X is the least populated number in the cluster)
2) Allow all access to every content in the current game, except for the following.
1) No BOSS NPC access
2) No MLs or CLs
3) No RR higher than RR4
4) Only 1 realm with a 3 char. limit.
5) No access to Labby
6) No access to PoC
7) No access to Darkness Falls.
8) Access to the realms Main Classes only
9) NPC and Bot buffs do no work on any F2P
The player then can choose to purchase with real cash, from the Mythic store, Items they need/want.
Enter a code, inside the account center to activate that item..
Each item would not be repairable, and it would loose durability at an increased rate.
Kills would only count for HALF the points of a regular paying player.
Every hour or so, the player would be ported to their main city, with a pop-up stating something about FREE game access.
The player would have the ability at RR4 to buy a transfer off the F2P Ywain, and be a regular player at a 'real money' cost.
Which would have a subscription, that would need to be paid for as well.
Once the player moves, the player then becomes a full regular player, with everything OPENED and UNLOCKED.
Yes, this would be a lot of work for Mythic to do, but, I could see something like this working.
Could be interesting to see what would happen.
I like some of your ideas but overall that type of F2P model would probably not work for DAoC.
What DAoC would need is a F2P model that would allow noobs to come to the game for free but keep existing players paying so that the steady (small but steady) income continues without risk of the income vanishing or shrinking.
While some of the suggested F2P systems may actually work, they also give the possibility of a decrease of income and even a small decrease of income for DAoC could get DAoC canceled. Whatever F2P model is adopted, that model needs to almost guarantee that the existing income stream is not disrupted.
Mythic could eliminate the risk to income by offering two account options.
1. The normal account for the normal subscription cost.
2. A limited access F2P account only available to new accounts.
The Limited Access F2P account would have restrictions. These restrictions would need to balance 2 main things.
1. For the F2P accounts Mythic would need to ensure that any restrictions/limitations did not prevent the F2P characters from being able to level up and become fodder to feed the Frontier RvR machine (I.E. almost no limitation on gaining abilities and no gimping characters or F2P players would not even try to become fodder for the frontiers).
2. The F2P accounts would need enough limitations that many/most F2P accounts would eventually upgrade to a subscription.
Suggested F2P model:
1. The free account must be a new account, not a restarted old account and not an existing account.
2. No bot classes available for the free account.
3. No homes available for free accounts
4. No mounts available for free accounts. (Taxi still ok)
5. No level limit (that lets free accounts level up to feed the frontiers)
6. No recall stones for a free account.
7. No free levels for a free account.
8. 2-character limit for a free account.
9. Free accounts can purchase from the MEs/CMs but they cannot trade with other characters/players.
10. No crafting for a free account.
11. Low priority login for the free account (if servers start to get full, free accounts that are logged in get a warning that they may be auto logged out to make room for paying customers)
The above F2P model would have worked great prior to clustering and before Ywain, back when there were enough servers/clusters to deal with the influx of tens of thousands of new F2P accounts. Today with Ywain being the main and only server (a mostly full server) there could be a huge problem if a F2P system actually brought in large numbers of noobs to the game. Yes more servers is an option, but it is an option that brings many problems.
It always seems that Mythic is behind the curve, missing opportunities.
Mythic’s real opportunity to take advantage of some type of modified F2P structure is mostly passed. A F2P structure could still work but it would have been easer and much better to have implemented a F2P system back about the time Mythic began the first bit of clustering.
For any F2P system to work, DAoC would need to be untwisted. As I previously posted, the game has become twisted to cater to mostly one play style, a minority play style. To retain noobs and to entice noobs to switch to a subscription and pay, the game would need to become suitable for many play styles and not just a minority/niche. While most MMO players PvP/RvR, most MMO players are also PvE centric and DAoC long ago stupidly abandoned any thought of keeping the PvE game viable for the PvE centric player. Today the PvE in DAoC is something to breeze through in a few short hours/days and such rapidly pointless leveling is not appealing to the PvE centric player.
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The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is.
Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can,
and keep moving. - Ulysses S. Grant
Only the dead have seen the end of war - Plato
