Multiple Accounts

[Senyu]

So browsing over the info thread, looking over all the info and dreaming of playing planetside, I saw a bit that made me wonder. As qouted below,

"Only one character can train per account at once offline (F2P so make as many as you want!)"


Now they also said they want 1 Empire per account as to prevent a player hopping over and such. Well F2P kinda throws that out the window. Thoughts?

[basti]

That comment in your quote was added by bags, so ignore it.

For once, we dont know if it will be a box price or completly F2P. Im right now guessing Box price, hopefully.

[Senyu]

Box price would deter it from being more common. Granted people still made multiple accounts with subscriptions though it was much less common. Just F2P mixed with this just worries me more

[Talek Krell]

It is rather odd. I suppose we'll see.

[FIREk]

Originally Posted by basti

For once, we dont know if it will be a box price or completly F2P. Im right now guessing Box price, hopefully.

Higby kinda slipped during his dinner with NapalmEnima and he pretty much said that there will be no box price. When Napalm asked to clarify this, Higby tried to cover it up by saying that he doesn't know for sure.

For now I think we can safely assume that it will be 100% free.

Maybe they could add some kind of hardware ID-based limitations. For instance, you can only have same-empire characters on one server, on one PC.
There may be 1000 people in the world that could share one PC and play the same MMO. They could either suck it up and play on the same empire or, since they won't be playing together anyway, they can have characters on different servers. Should they get a second PC, I'm sure SOE can accommodate them with a character move service. :P
The remaining 100000 people claiming to have brothers/sisters/pets that they share their PC with, will most likely be wannabe empire hoppers. :P

[NlightN]

Yeah, I was a little thrown off too when reading that part in the interview. I really hope SOE ends up going with a boxed copy despite what Firek is claiming (along with a free trial to get the numers up) but since Smed already publically announced it would be F2P, I doubt that will change.

People being able to create multiple accounts so easily is going to become a serious issue affecting both gameplay and balance. Without some sort of limiting factor, I know and I'm sure most of you know that everybody and their grandmother will have an alt commander account as an example, to make use of squad spawning and other associated perks just for their outfit or squad alone.

I'm going to give SOE the benefit of the doubt though as I'm sure they're not THAT thickheaded to not have some sort of deterrant to multi account abuse. Have to wait till we get more details on the bus model before we can fuss too much about it.

[SavageB]

Totally free???? I dont think so. I would ASSUME there is gonna be a box price....

[FIREk]

Originally Posted by NlightN

Yeah, I was a little thrown off too when reading that part in the interview. I really hope SOE ends up going with a boxed copy despite what Firek is claiming (along with a free trial to get the numers up) but since Smed already publically announced it would be F2P, I doubt that will change.

Don't get me wrong, I want it to have a box price.

"Free to play" doesn't necessarily mean "Free to start playing", right? :P

[moosepoop]

i think only having one faction per account is dumb. then everyone would not enjoy the other 2/3 of the game content.

a more reasonable method would be just lengthen the faction switch time, from 12 hours in ps1 to maybe 24 or 36 hours.

[FIREk]

Originally Posted by moosepoop

i think only having one faction per account is dumb. then everyone would not enjoy the other 2/3 of the game content.

a more reasonable method would be just lengthen the faction switch time, from 12 hours in ps1 to maybe 24 or 36 hours.

Nothing stops people from enjoying the remaining 2/3 on two different servers.

Faction switch timers would help a bit, but at the end of the day it's all down to which faction is doing well that day, so it's either 36 hours or not at all.

Anyway, this thread is about exploits and workarounds that would allow people to empire-swap all the time, with no consequences.

[moosepoop]

well, f2p alts would probably be less powerful than your main accounts, so it might not get as bad.

[Hamma]

I can't see this being 100% free with the dev time and money they are spending. A box price makes more sense, and FPS players are used to paying a box price just not a subscription.

[NapalmEnima]

Originally Posted by Hamma

I can't see this being 100% free with the dev time and money they are spending. A box price makes more sense, and FPS players are used to paying a box price just not a subscription.

OTOH, if they want to compete with the "zero barrier of entry" of other no-box-price F2P games, they'll have to be genuinely F2P as well. And that is precisely what they are up against.

I got the feeling that Higby genuinely didn't know, mostly because it wasn't his department.

What I wouldn't mind seeing is a box that comes with the equivalent amount of station cash in stuff (Premium subscription time, some exclusive content, etc). That way you don't have to download the client, you can install it from a DVD, plus you get your investment back. And SOE gets to make brick-n-mortar retailers happy by selling stuff through them rather than directly.

[NCLynx]

Originally Posted by moosepoop

i think only having one faction per account is dumb. then everyone would not enjoy the other 2/3 of the game content.

a more reasonable method would be just lengthen the faction switch time, from 12 hours in ps1 to maybe 24 or 36 hours.

They also said they'd allow another character from another empire on the same account same server if the reason was good enough. Maybe this will be the reason.

[basti]

Originally Posted by NCLynx

They also said they'd allow another character from another empire on the same account same server if the reason was good enough. Maybe this will be the reason.

ITs more likley one faction per server, and thats a good thing.

You can still enoy all 3 factions, and can still just switch the faction if you dont enjoy the fight at the moment, but you cant just switch from the looser to the winner. And thats a good thing.