Definition of 'Selling Power'

[jollytraveller]

Originally Posted by Senyu

See, this is the problem with F2P model for a game such as Planetside 2 is that there really hasn't been one thats very good. Unless I'm just completly unaware of one, I havent seen any F2P version of games that can easily be a monthly subscription game.

And that worries me, because we don't know of a succesfull way of a F2P that doesnt sell power, have a cash shop, seperate the players, or is just generally poor quality. Perhaps they found a good version and it might be very succesful. But until they come out with the details, we are only speculating what other games have done with their success/fail stories and that can only go so far.

The World of Tanks F2P model works perfectly I think.

There are very, very few things in the game that you can pay for that you cannot earn for free. Granted it takes a little longer to level yourself, but not dramatically so.

The crucial difference is that to actually play your high level tanks consistantly requires investing real money into a premium account in order for you to afford the repairs to your vehicles. If you choose not to pay for a premium account, yes you can still play tier 10 tanks...... just not all the time. You are obliged to drop down to lower level tiers in order to save the money up to play your larger vehicles.

I'm not saying this system should be applied to Planetside, although I'm usre something could be created. A system where each weapon and vehicle has a credit value and you can either pay real cahs for credits or build them up in game. The key is that the weapon itself cannot be bought it needs to be earned. How much you then use it is dependant on other factors.

I am personally nervous about F2P models but my point is that there are systems out there that don't work too badly and don't affect balance that much. Ultimately, subscription fees are considered an out-dated approach to generating profits so like it or not PS2 is almost sure to generate it's revenue in other ways. I don't think micro-transactions have to been seen as the ultimate evil if they are implemented correctly.