paid server?

[wraithverge]

I know it's too early to say, but is there a possibility of a single server where only payed members can log into? Depending on the audience that this game attracts, I prefer people at least old enough to have a credit card, or know that if they get banned, they are actually losing real money. I know it may be bad for the business model you are shooting for but I think payed attracts a higher quality of gamer. Maybe just an optional sub server that costs a few bucks a month?

Ideas on how we can make this work so far. Please add more, just adding them here for summary or TL;DR

I suggest being able to buy in for large amounts of auraxium or pay cash for it.

Loco suggested tying it to the station pass model.

Sylphaen suggested anyone who's spent any money can access it

Rivenshield brought up the paid client, which is a confirmed no.

[SgtExo]

I dont see this happening at all.

[Goku]

Originally Posted by SgtExo

I dont see this happening at all.

This. Fragments the community and I don't see many people hopping on board. If by paid server also means you get even more stuff then what a regular prem sub (if it happens) may afford that isn't going to happen. That splits their business model.

[SFJake]

If paid only meant "you have to have spent at least 10$ on the game", I'd actually like it. Sub servers, no. Thats dumb when you have free ones.

I'd think the game would have enough servers eventually to have at least one of those. Unless the game is struggling to have one server filled at a time. This really depends on the population in the game, it definitively could hurt it.

Tough. I don't expect it at all myself.

[RoninOni]

Originally Posted by SFJake

If paid only meant "you have to have spent at least 10$ on the game", I'd actually like it. Sub servers, no. Thats dumb when you have free ones.

I'd think the game would have enough servers eventually to have at least one of those. Unless the game is struggling to have one server filled at a time. This really depends on the population in the game, it definitively could hurt it.

Tough. I don't expect it at all myself.

^This.

DCUO has 3 levels of players.
Free, Premium, Subscription.

Now I don't want any subscriptions for PS2 so we'd just have Free and Premium

where Premium players have spent 500-1000 station cash ($5-10) in game.

Differences should be minor.
*5-6 second respawn instead of 10 (they mentioned something about longer respawn delay for free players... not my idea, but so long as Free is reasonably short to not be annoying, it's not a terrible idea)

*Priority queing on overpopulated servers/continents

*Access to premium only servers. These should be relatively limited in Qty.

*These premium servers would be safe from griefers as there is real penalty associated with excessive griefing (locking of account and loss of funds used)

*Minor permanent xp boost (10%?)

I think the desire for premium servers is basically because of peoples ungodly desire to troll just because they can (even though what allows them too is exactly the type of business model we should be supporting by NOT trolling)

I'm fine with any/all/none of those... really doesn't matter to me much honestly.

[Eyeklops]

Originally Posted by Goku

This. Fragments the community and I don't see many people hopping on board. If by paid server also means you get even more stuff then what a regular prem sub (if it happens) may afford that isn't going to happen. That splits their business model.

I have heard the "fragment" comment a ton of times. Personally think it's bullshit because this is not EVE, we cannot all fit onto 1 server anyway. Also, a paid server is likely to have about 1% of the hackers the free servers do. I would gladly pay some small one time fee for that.

[Hessy17]

I paid a sub for ps1 and I will pay a sub for ps2. I wouldn't mind a few servers set aside for the people who subed up.

[wraithverge]

hessy17 I'm pretty sure you are the vocal minority on this one. I'd be willing to pay a one time fee or a couple bucks a month, but only if the pop was there and I don't think we could manage even a single full server with a $10-$19 sub in today's market.

How about a micro trans loggin system? In order to log into the server it costs 5 sc, that's like a nickel every time you login, but you can pick any existing server to pull your character from? This way your main stays with your f2p friends, but when you feel like hitting up the paid server, you lose nothing by doing so, or alternatively you can switch factions as wanted?

This is assuming faction isn't locked per account and not just per server.

[exLupo]

Originally Posted by Eyeklops

I have heard the "fragment" comment a ton of times. Personally think it's bullshit because this is not EVE, we cannot all fit onto 1 server anyway.

EQ2 had a pretty bad fragmentation problem when they segregated the community. However, back in November, SOE saw which part was was stagnating and which was thriving and got rid of the pay-only servers altogether.

The company's general motto is "Free to play. Your way." and all of their maintained titles are free and without segregation. There's no reason to expect that PS2 will be any other way. It doesn't follow industry standards and doesn't follow SOE's new mandate.

Also, a paid server is likely to have about 1% of the hackers the free servers do. I would gladly pay some small one time fee for that.

I said the exact same thing years ago with PS1. How wrong I turned out to be. Tech and CS management fix hacking problems, not pay barriers. People pick the games they want to play, pay or no and then decide if they're going to cheat. Open games are harder to police but the only time that cheaters are low is when the system is tight. It's got little to do with pay gating.

[snaffe]

Originally Posted by exLupo

EQ2 had a pretty bad fragmentation problem when they segregated the community. However, back in November, SOE saw which part was was stagnating and which was thriving and got rid of the pay-only servers altogether.

The company's general motto is "Free to play. Your way." and all of their maintained titles are free and without segregation. There's no reason to expect that PS2 will be any other way. It doesn't follow industry standards and doesn't follow SOE's new mandate.



I said the exact same thing years ago with PS1. How wrong I turned out to be. Tech and CS management fix hacking problems, not pay barriers. People pick the games they want to play, pay or no and then decide if they're going to cheat. Open games are harder to police but the only time that cheaters are low is when the system is tight. It's got little to do with pay gating.

Maybe station cash for grief-invulnerability? No? Bad idea?

[ZaBa]

Originally Posted by Goku

This. Fragments the community and I don't see many people hopping on board. If by paid server also means you get even more stuff then what a regular prem sub (if it happens) may afford that isn't going to happen. That splits their business model.

Actually I am all for the idea of never having to deal with borgy snobs ever again. Go have fun on your subscribers only island, please don't bother coming back.

[Stardouser]

Well, everyone loves to cite that PS2 is an MMO when it supports their case in certain issues.

And as it happens, Premium servers are not unheard of in MMOs. Legends server in Everquest for example.

[NCLynx]

This will never happen.

[wraithverge]

yeah, that's why I said it might be bad for the business model. Splitting playerbase only makes sense if there's a really good reason for it. So how can we make this work? How about you can spend X auraxium to buy access to this special server as well? This way the people on the server are those who are vested in the game, OR those who have payed and are therefore vested in the game? We are a creative bunch, how can we make a game where we are not constantly flooded with people who have nothing to lose? It's the ring of gyges dillema, or in modern terms, keyboard courage, where people turn to jerks when they have minimal to no consequences to their actions? If all you have to do is create a new account people will cheat, be jerks etc. We learned this lesson from fodderside.

[Loco]

I wonder if they will have a "Gold Club" prescription server to work with the SOE station pass.