"Premium Features" Speculation!

[LZachariah]

I'm excited to hear that Planetside 2 will have a subscription-model available. More than likely, I will go for it (we'll see how it looks). Of course, what will ultimately determine whether or not I go for the subscription-model will be what features a subscription offers us.

First off, I'm guessing that with a subscription, we always level with the speed of being online, even if we're offline. I could also venture that we get double XP (this was also used in Global Agenda). That, and perhaps a monthly allowance of Station Cash. What do other people think?

~Zachariah

[basti]

The obvious cape?


Seriously, no idea. May be an idea to look at the other games from SOE, i assume it will be rather similar.

[LZachariah]

That's a good point; I've never played a SOE game except Planetside 1. Hrmm...

[FriendlyFire]

non
combat
pets

[Coreldan]

I sure hope they wont be selling any friggign pets. Even if just visual.

Something that fits the game, please.

[LZachariah]

Yes, please let there be no pets. That would be ...silly. I don't want any silliness in Planetside 2 unless it can be toggled off (for instance, if they're going to give us Christmas hats during the holidays, that's fine, but I want to be able to uncheck a box that makes them invisible to me).

~Zachariah

[Crator]

I doubt they'll put pets in-game. Just doesn't make sense on a technical aspect...

[FastAndFree]

Originally Posted by Coreldan

I sure hope they wont be selling any friggign pets. Even if just visual.

Something that fits the game, please.

Noncombat mini UAV that follows you around :P

[Ailos]

EDIT: This post turned out to be a little bit long. So here's a TL;DR version:
Based on DCUO's F2P model, there'll be 3 levels of membership, with the subscription level being the unlimited one, and most importantly, subscribers are the only ones who will be able to form outfits, while others can only join them. I think that that, combined with the new commander skill tree, means fewer 12 year old CR5s (or whatever the PS2 equivalent of that is), and means your leadership role within your empire will not automatically come to you after some time playing the game, and means those of us who really care about leadership and tactics will end up in leadership roles.



I personally anticipate PS2's pricing to be on par with DCUO. That's the last SOE title that people not normally associated with SOE actually widely heard about, and that even some of my non-gamer friends asked me about.

http://www.dcuniverseonline.com/free/

That model goes pretty well along what we've been discussing in other places:

• The free level gives you access to the main game, allows you to create only 2 characters, gives you limited inventory, prohibits item trading, limits in-game currency, and throttles your chat (not that 6 messages per 30 seconds isn't enough to get your point across), and lastly, can only join leagues. In PS2 terms, I translate that to mean: 2 characters, small locker space, no item trading, limited skill tree, throttled chat, additional cost for post-launch content (it may be simply inaccessible because it's too high in a skill tree), and can only join outfits. That's limited enough to make you want to buy the game for deeper access, but not so limited that you're a meatshield on the battlefield (especially if you join an outfit, even if all you have is a suppressor, you can still be effective).
• The premium level ($5+ spent) increases the number of characters you can have, allows item trading, bigger inventory space, and a higher cap on in-game currency, and you can spam the chat more freely. You still can't form leagues, and you still need to purchase expansion packs. In PS2 terms, I'd translate that to more character slots, allowance for item trading, a slight pushback in skill trees (except command trees), and more locker space, but you still can only join outfits and have to buy skill tree extensions as you approach the limits (i.e. you can start broadening your skills by beginning to cert up more vanny skills once you've maxed out your reaver, but if you really want that heavy armor on the reaver, you'll have to pay for it. The armor will naturally make the reaver slower, of course, but it gives you more situational options.)
• Lastly, the subscription level gives you free access to expansion packs, even more inventory space and no cash limits, completely unlimited trading, and most importantly, you can form leagues. In PS2 that'd mean that you have the largest locker space, unlimited skill trees, and most importantly, you can be an outfit leader, and will probably be the only level of player capable of creating those outfit-specific skill trees we keep hearing so much about.

In all honesty, I would be EXTREMELY surprised if SOE doesn't offer a subscription option for PS2; I'm also pretty settled on the idea that I'm going to go for the subscription right away. I think it would be a pretty sweet deal if for the $15/mo subscription fee, premium members would get some small trickle of station cash (like 100 points, or whatever the equivalent of a couple bucks is), but in all reality, the subscription's benefits have few limits and maybe there isn't much need for spending station cash at that point (maybe I want to store more Lasher ammo in my locker, but realistically, it only gets used when the shit really hits the fan, I'm in pajamas, and the gen's been dropped).

But more to the point, that kind of a model basically means that the people with dedication to the game are the ones who will be the player leaders and the commanders - not just time dedication but financial dedication. That sounds bad at first, but it's actually a pretty good thing.

One of the biggest issues with online games is the fact that everyone plays them. Drunks, fat men with beer bellies, doctors, engineers, businessmen, college students, high school students, and even kids, and yes, women too(!). In PS1, your "leadership" position within the empire mattered only on how much time you'd spent leading a squad (not necessarily the case in outfits), which means that after a while an immature 12 year old would have just as much in-game ability to lead as a seasoned, 5-year game veteran, 30-year old outfit leader, who is also a dentist. You can see the obvious problems here.

PS2 being a F2P game, it'll be pretty hard for the 12 year old to convince his parents to buy a monthly subscription when the game itself is free. Hell, even I, an engineer by trade, find it difficult to justify to myself purchasing virtual content or virtual items. (I'm more comfortable with a subscription idea for the same reason I'm more comfortable paying for unlimited phone service than per-minute calling.) That means that the only way someone incapable of leading an empire will find themselves in a leadership opportunity is only if their parents have multiple kids, or play games themselves, and have a Station All-Access pass. But even then, they have to dedicate time to becoming an empire leader. Not in the same way that it was in PS1 - simultaneously with general character advancement and pretty much automatically - but they have to dedicate time to being an empire leader INSTEAD of dedicating time to advancing your sniper skills, for instance. I think most 12 year olds care more about how many kills they get than the general advance of the empire, nay most players care about kills more than empire advancement, that's why PS1 had The Zerg and Cyssor. That leaves those of us who care about tactics to carry out those low-kill-count, high-strategic-value missions (because we care about that kind of fun).

To me, that sounds like a pretty sound plan for making this game successful and profitable. The game being F2P will naturally create a healthy interest and steady population since it's free not just to try or for a limited time, but free always (although your character is limited in advancement, the fun in PS isn't from advancement so much as it is from teamwork, which is never limited). That means there's always going to be plenty of people to shoot. It also means that empire leadership will be composed mostly of people who truly care about strategic advancement and empire leadership, and few people who ended up in a position of decision making by accident. All we have to do to ensure the game's continued success and steady supply of fun is as empire commanders and outfit leaders, to think how we assign missions: give The Zerg what they want - the massive mindless grind, and reserve the strategic stuff for those who truly appreciate it and are willing to carry it through.

[Bittermen]

^good post

[Hmr85]

Originally Posted by Bittermen

^good post

I have to agree with Bitterman above me.

If they go the route Ailos put with the 3 levels. I myself will for sure be doing a subscription. That extra bag space/locker and outfit features would be very nice.

[ThGlump]

Access (or character transfer) to subscription only server. Thats all premium i want.

[Shogun]

i agree. aios post is very likely near to reality!

there are a lot of games (not only soe) that take that exact route. lord of the rings for example, or startrek online when it will go f2p this month.

maybe the system has to be a little tweaked to fit for an fps, but this will be the business model for sure.

[NewSith]

T-REX jungle raid.

[Ailos]

Originally Posted by NewSith

T-REX jungle raid.

Will fail when I purchase velociraptor-proof doors for my outfit base.