SOE F2P Interview

[SKYeXile]

http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=28817&storypage=1

nothing much about planetside, but a look a SOE's perspective on F2P.

[Raymac]

There's alot of reading between the lines that can be done in that interview. Thanks for the link Sky.

Lately it's been feeling alot like it was just before Fan Faire where they couldn't say anything yet but the big announcement was coming soon. It feels like we are really close for the shackles to come off and a flood of information to be unleashed.

[SKYeXile]

There's alot of reading between the lines that can be done in that interview. Thanks for the link Sky.

Lately it's been feeling alot like it was just before Fan Faire where they couldn't say anything yet but the big announcement was coming soon. It feels like we are really close for the shackles to come off and a flood of information to be unleashed.

Yea i would think so, GW2 just let a whole lot of information fly off, i image PS2 is on track for a similar beta and launch schedule with them.

[Hamma]

Lately it's been feeling alot like it was just before Fan Faire where they couldn't say anything yet but the big announcement was coming soon. It feels like we are really close for the shackles to come off and a flood of information to be unleashed.

I would agree with this. I'm sure we will get small tidbits between now and GDC. Considering the amount of Devs that will be there I am sure we will be getting some nice new pieces of info - dunno about floodgates but probably some good stuff. :D

[Hamma]

Thanks SKYeXile for posting this, I think I am going to post it as news because it does somewhat relate to PlanetSide 2 even if indirectly.

[Mastachief]

interesting read

[psychosiszz]

All I want is too pay a subscription and get all the content I pay for. If I have to pay extra for stuff that I should already get I probably wont buy the game. F2P is fine... but they better not screw it up, I hope people have to buy the game first then have the option to either go with the F2P package or Monthly sub to cut down on hackers (F2P are full of em).

[Tasorin]

This was a marketing interview fluff piece on a long past its prime title (EQ II) and F2P model they can't or won't define for PS2. They went to a F2P model in EQ II primarily because the subscription rate had finally hit the intercept between cost and earning after tax revenue and SOE needed to create new revenue streams to keep the title running. The only thing it really gave any perspective too is that SOE is fundamentally moving away from the past industry standard of a full subscription business model to a Cash Store business model and micro transactions. No one has really proven they can get micro transactions right. By right, I mean power balance in game. Sooner or later it becomes Power for Sale and SOE isn't any different.

I am going to refrain from saying anything more, mostly negative, about this article.

[MilitantBob]

I don't know, I'm a big League of Legends fan, and I feel like their F2P set up is near ideal. I know its not a true MMO, but I think its good indicator it can be done. Cash just provides you shortcuts to things you could have gotten through playtime and customization that doesn't effect gameplay.

That's one of the reasons I am not so worried about PS2 being F2P, they seem to be basing it off the best system for it I have seen this far.

[Trolltaxi]

I still wonder what SOE can offer for my money. Cause I know I don't want to buy cosmetics to my avatar, I won't pay for "shortcuts" if those items can be earned with playing the game. No "power" will be sold, so I won't need to be in par with others on the field either.

Only thing I'd buy is the outfit logo. And I fear that outfit activities will cost in some way - like you need to contribute to the outfit resource so much that you need to spend on a regular basis to keep your outfit strong.

[CuddlyChud]

I still wonder what SOE can offer for my money. Cause I know I don't want to buy cosmetics to my avatar, I won't pay for "shortcuts" if those items can be earned with playing the game. No "power" will be sold, so I won't need to be in par with others on the field either.

Only thing I'd buy is the outfit logo. And I fear that outfit activities will cost in some way - like you need to contribute to the outfit resource so much that you need to spend on a regular basis to keep your outfit strong.

Well, the article points out that its ok to have players who don't spend money. If you're not the kind of person who buys customization and convenience items, that's ok as long as you're playing. Players are content in MMOs. And chances are, while right now you might not consider buying any of those things, a year down the road when you've made a lot of time investment into the game, it might not seem as frivolous to buy stuff off the cash shop.

[SKYeXile]

I still wonder what SOE can offer for my money. Cause I know I don't want to buy cosmetics to my avatar, I won't pay for "shortcuts" if those items can be earned with playing the game. No "power" will be sold, so I won't need to be in par with others on the field either.

Only thing I'd buy is the outfit logo. And I fear that outfit activities will cost in some way - like you need to contribute to the outfit resource so much that you need to spend on a regular basis to keep your outfit strong.

i would have to think your outfit levels up via resources, which are collected from your members via a outfit leader set tax rate.

or they just levelup like offline levelling so everybody progresses the same, not a good method to encourage new outfits though.

mostlikly you would need to be a subscriber to create an outfit...not keep the sub going, but be subbed for atleast 1 month.

[Qwan]

I just hope that F2P does not equal Pay to win.

[SKYeXile]

I just hope that F2P does not equal Pay to win.

That will likely depend on your interpretation of pay to win.

For example do you believe paying for different weapons in TF2 is paying to win?

[Qwan]

That will likely depend on your interpretation of pay to win.

For example do you believe paying for different weapons in TF2 is paying to win?

I see it like this if said player pays for access to better weapons and vehicles, and I dont this game is going to get old quick.

[Hamma]

Smed has said "We will not sell power" but that is open to interpretation. I would think it means that you can buy weapons that are also available in game, things like xp boosts etc.

[SKYeXile]

I see it like this if said player pays for access to better weapons and vehicles, and I dont this game is going to get old quick.

Right but whats your definition of better? yea offcourse there is flatout better, no downside, just plain better

but if say you could buy/earn a cycler SMG mk4

which lessens the COF and recoil of the MK1, but at the cost of long range damage , would you classify that as better and / or power?

[Carbanu]

With the new minerals planned for the game, if I have to "buy" minerals to get stuff I am gonna be pissed.

Give me a subscription option and we can both win.

[VioletZero]

With the new minerals planned for the game, if I have to "buy" minerals to get stuff I am gonna be pissed.

Give me a subscription option and we can both win.

Although a comfortable option for returning vets, I don't think freemium is quite right for this game.

[Tapman]

First off, they mentioned that they are looking into the possibility of allowing users to submit their own content that could be sold to other players and potential ways to compensate them. I don't see anyone getting a check from SOE but I would at least expect some form of credit/station cash for every however many people pay for it. I think that would be awesome.

On a separate note, Outfit creators/leaders should be able to submit their own content for their colors/design, but only DEEP in the Outfit skill tree. This is policed by requiring a subscription in order to create/lead an Outfit and for that skill set to be leveled up. There will inevitably be the extremely few trolls motivated enough to pay the sub fee for long enough to level that skill up and to convince/trick enough people into participating, however I am pretty nervous about potential censorship especially with all of the hullabaloo about it on the internet lately. I think that people should be able to mark their own work as NSFW, and if something is in a grey area you could always do polls in the forums about different kinds of content and whether or not it should be allowed and whether it should be invisible to people with parental controls active, i.e. Nazi symbols would probably not be allowed at all, while hand-drawn ladies in skimpy outfits would probably make it through as viewable by adults-only. Give the Veterans from the 25 most currently active outfits prior to the Beta announcement date early access to this as I imagine they could help inspire people to create original content that looks like it belongs on a world at war.

As far as the concerns over SOE selling power, it seems as if some people are forgetting one of the core game mechanics of Planetside that has been confirmed over and over to be a core mechanic of Planetside 2. This is that an inexperienced player has a decent chance of standing up to a veteran and winning. Planetside 2 will have side-grades which will allow you to customize your gameplay to fit your style which will in turn allow you to become more skilled but that is not the same as selling someone power. Yes, it is an MMORPG, but before that it is a First Person Shooter, the devs have repeatedly acknowledged this in interviews and interactions with fans. The most power change you would see on a single-shot basis would be 20% but this will be balanced out with other factors such as fire rate, reload speed, range, accuracy/spread, etc. during BETA.

Lastly, I hope that they recognize the demand for a monthly subscription. I imagine that there could be many items in the cash shop that last a certain length of time like increased skill training rate for a few hours/day/week/month, I think it would be cool to offer discounts on package deals that would amount to reasonable monthly subscription fees. Don't go crazy with this though, otherwise you may end up painting a bigger target on your big spenders.

Good read, I'm looking forward to seeing their announcement.

[RadarX]

First off, they mentioned that they are looking into the possibility of allowing users to submit their own content that could be sold to other players and potential ways to compensate them. I don't see anyone getting a check from SOE but I would at least expect some form of credit/station cash for every however many people pay for it. I think that would be awesome.



In response to your user content, I can't speak specifically to PS2 because obviously this hasn't been officially discussed and there is nothing stating it will be like anything that has been seen before. What I can do however is point to a number of successful user content generation systems that work in other MMOs. City of Heroes level builder, Star Trek Online's Mission creator, and EverQuest 2's Dungeon Maker.

All of these allows flexibility and variety in creating content players can enjoy. There are multiple reward systems in place for this. The simplest is a rating system which effectively creates a leaderboard that many people take very seriously. EQ2 for example offers tokens for ratings which unlooks even more creation tools. Completing player dungeons also reward tokens that can be exchanged for high end gear. My point being these systems can easily provide compensation to the builder and to the participant.

[Tapman]

In response to your user content, I can't speak specifically to PS2 because obviously this hasn't been officially discussed and there is nothing stating it will be like anything that has been seen before. What I can do however is point to a number of successful user content generation systems that work in other MMOs. City of Heroes level builder, Star Trek Online's Mission creator, and EverQuest 2's Dungeon Maker.

All of these allows flexibility and variety in creating content players can enjoy. There are multiple reward systems in place for this. The simplest is a rating system which effectively creates a leaderboard that many people take very seriously. EQ2 for example offers tokens for ratings which unlooks even more creation tools. Completing player dungeons also reward tokens that can be exchanged for high end gear. My point being these systems can easily provide compensation to the builder and to the participant.

I was thinking more along the lines of decals for vehicles and sprays/propaganda posters/threatening signs that players could throw up on and inside bases. After what you said, I think that letting players design their own drop-towers/bunkers would be sweet. I'm looking forward to the coming announcements.

[kaffis]

In response to your user content, I can't speak specifically to PS2 because obviously this hasn't been officially discussed and there is nothing stating it will be like anything that has been seen before. What I can do however is point to a number of successful user content generation systems that work in other MMOs. City of Heroes level builder, Star Trek Online's Mission creator, and EverQuest 2's Dungeon Maker.

All of these allows flexibility and variety in creating content players can enjoy. There are multiple reward systems in place for this. The simplest is a rating system which effectively creates a leaderboard that many people take very seriously. EQ2 for example offers tokens for ratings which unlooks even more creation tools. Completing player dungeons also reward tokens that can be exchanged for high end gear. My point being these systems can easily provide compensation to the builder and to the participant.
When discussing user created content, don't focus entirely on gameplay content. Art content is also very cool to be able to contribute, and when discussing that, it would be criminal not to highlight Sony's own (well, Sony-published, I suppose) Pirates of the Burning Sea.

[EZShot]

Not at all savy when it comes to payment models for MMO's but the ones that are ftp that I have seen all have an option to become "gold members" or whatever, which will give you unlimited access to "gold content" for (x) time, usually monthly. I don't like the system personally, I'm far to easy to convince when it comes to parting with small cash :p wouldn't be surprised to see it included though.

Something to think about for the players who like their games to be complete from the beginning and would have been happy to pay monthly for the game.

[Crator]

I'm interested to see what the paid subs get vs. F2P players.

[DayOne]

I'm interested to see what the paid subs get vs. F2P players.

:doh:

When discussing user created content, don't focus entirely on gameplay content. Art content is also very cool to be able to contribute, and when discussing that, it would be criminal not to highlight Sony's own (well, Sony-published, I suppose) Pirates of the Burning Sea.

In-game art? If we were able to customise vehicles to the extent that you can in forza and then sell those on either for real money or in game resources. Could also help to distinguish outfit vehicles.

[Atheosim]

There won't be a paid subscription. From what they've said all money will be gained through microtransactions.


Is this newer information because last I heard they were considering a premium membership option.

[Crator]

There won't be a paid subscription. From what they've said all money will be gained through microtransactions.


Source?

[Akemo]

There won't be a paid subscription. From what they've said all money will be gained through microtransactions.

Actually... "SOE plans to include a subscription model for those who fancy access to what Matt calls ‘premium features’"

The source?

PC Gamer's article at http://www.pcgamer.com/previews/planetside-2-preview-3/

It's stated in the last paragraph. It is possible that the author of the article is simply making assumptions based on Planetside 1's history, but he certainly makes it sound as though that information came directly from Matt Higby.

And I don't think we know yet if those premium features are simply ones that would otherwise be available in whatever cash shop we end up with, simply without having to deal with all the microtransactions, or will be something completely different.